Monetary Help to Attend Grievance Panels?

[Dark_Team_135]

I am curious if any Locals out there help members with their expenses to attend out-of-state Grievance Panels? I have heard that some do. Here in Local 135 it never happens...

Many times the employee has been terminated and has to attend JAC to get this job back after being off for months. Also the company has been pushing even the obvious loser (non-discharge) grievances to the JAC; we believe to discourage the members and stewards from attending the panel due to the personal cost of doing so with no real chance of getting even a portion of the money back. These panels usually last 3 days...

What is funny (maybe not so much) is that it seems like the company is willing to spend many times what it would cost to just settle these grievances, fighting them to the death.

I am sure expenses like paid meetings for stewards, grievants and witnesses; time spent by members of management that could be used on something more productive for the company; mileage, hotels food and other expenses related to attending panels, etc cost the company much more than a grievance for 3.5 hours of overtime for a combo employee...The next time I hear someone from management complaining about costs I will remind them about how much they are wasting in this area...

[tieguy]

From what I've seen labor issues are often ones where both the company and union get their gut into issues that could be calmly and objectively settled.

[Dis-organized Labor]

Originally Posted by tieguy

From what I've seen labor issues are often ones where both the company and union get their gut into issues that could be calmly and objectively settled.

US? From the Company perspective, we NEVER get emotional about Union Grievances. We check out emotions at the door every day!! HA.

[dragon]

I agree with stuff like the 3.5 hrs of overtime for combo employee. Its when we have to spend endless hours trying to get rid of an employee that has no business working for us, thats when we really spend some cash. So next time you have to defend a liar, thief, etc, etc help the process out and help us get rid of them immediately.

I know, I know I just opened a can of worms....