advice from shop stewards..

[Indecisi0n]

Yawn.

 

[Brownslave688]

I'd be interested in knowing what the incident was. Because stewards are allowed to interact differently with managment than regular hourlies.

 

[Lineandinitial]

I am management and understand that the hourly wants to remain neutral. Sometimes we don't have those choices in life. If there was a threat or some physical contact, the hourly should simply write the statement as it happened, with no opinion or speculation.
THAT is remaining neutral. We are all responsible for our action, whether management or union.
If the Steward was way beyond the bounds of professionalism, he should be held accountable.
If it was simply blowing off steam, then let it go.
There's always a back story that we never hear about...

 

[Mugarolla]

Disagreed. Article 18 is explicit in stating that the local union shall appoint the union participants on the safety committees. The union members then select the co chair; management has absolutely no right to tell us who sits on the committee or co chairs.

"Corporate statement" sounds pretty vague but Article 18 also states that no bargaining unit members shall be identified in any safety paperwork done by the committee or co chair. Is this related to an accident or a professional conduct issue?

Usually the problem with the commitee/CHSP co chair are them being filled with rats not people unwilling to write a statement for the company.

Agreed with Mug on the statement. The company can never compel a statement from an hourly but neither can an hourly seek to impede an investigation. Keep in mind that no one has ever been fired for simply saying, "I don't remember."

The local union does not appoint the members, they approve the members. Could almost be the same thing.

But you are right about the co-chair. I guess I should have double checked before I opened my big mouth. The members appoint the co-chair.

 

[Buru]

Conduct issue

Can you be more specific about the details of this "meeting" and are you the co chair or steward and who is being threatened to be removed?

I am neither.. I am a steward tho. Co chair came to me feeling like there back was against the wall.. don't know all the details. But the steward has been put on leave pending investigation.. training manager wants statement on matter to seek further punishment on steward

 

[Mst3k]

Snitches end up in ditches

 

[Inthegame]

I am management and understand that the hourly wants to remain neutral. Sometimes we don't have those choices in life. If there was a threat or some physical contact, the hourly should simply write the statement as it happened, with no opinion or speculation.
THAT is remaining neutral. We are all responsible for our action, whether management or union.

So when a steward asks you for information concerning a pending grievance, you just write up factual statements even if your superiors were implicated in wrongdoing? Sure you do.

 

[542thruNthru]

I'd be interested in knowing what the incident was. Because stewards are allowed to interact differently with managment than regular hourlies.

I believe the steward is only a equal with management when he is in a actual meeting. Also I believe he can only go 1 step above how the manager is acting.

The way he made it sound to me was this wasn't a meeting it was a argument that got out of hand.

I agree though I would be interested in knowing what it was myself.

 

[LeadBelly]

Maybe not the training manager, but a hub or center manager can remove her from her safety co-chair position.



No. They cannot force an hourly to write any kind of statement.

Safety committee positions are all appointed by the local union.

 

[542thruNthru]

Safety committee positions are all appointed by the local union.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm missing where it says the local Union will appoint the safety committee. I ask this because our center manager decides who is on the safety committee.

 

[Dragon]

Conduct issue


I am neither.. I am a steward tho. Co chair came to me feeling like there back was against the wall.. don't know all the details. But the steward has been put on leave pending investigation.. training manager wants statement on matter to seek further punishment on steward

So is the employee suspended? Not sure what on leave pending investigation means.

Not looking good for someone.

 

[LeadBelly]

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I'm missing where it says the local Union will appoint the safety committee. I ask this because our center manager decides who is on the safety committee.

Here you go brother.

Article 18. Ups national master agreement
Section 20.4 Safety and Health Committees

There shall be Safety and Health Committees to cover all full-time
and part-time employees. There shall be one (1) committee per
Center unless the number of employees and/or job classifications
within a center dictate the establishment of more than one (1) committee. The respective committees will be comprised of a mutually

agreed to number of bargaining unit representatives and up to an equal number of management representatives.

Recognizing the importance of the role of the Safety and Health Committees in resolving the issues of safety, the Employer and the Union reaffirm their commitment to the active involvement of the Committees in such processes, in accordance with the terms of this Article.

The Local Union shall approve the bargaining unit members who serve on these Committees. The Union co-chair of the committee(s) shall be selected by the bargaining unit members of the committee. In the event that a Local Union desires to cease participation in the safety committees, prior approval must be authorized by the Union Co-Chair of the Teamsters United Parcel Service National Negotiating Committee who shall also inform the Employer’s President of Labor Relations of the request.

Bargaining unit members may not perform Safety Committee observations of fellow bargaining unit members that can be interpreted as being a management role. Safety Committee

 

[LeadBelly]

@542thruNthru this is the procedure that your local should use. This is what goes on in my local. Our Principal office is a very smart man though. He is pound for pound one of the man st knowledgeable people on the UPS contract anywhere.

 

[542thruNthru]

Here you go brother.

Article 18. Ups national master agreement
Section 20.4 Safety and Health Committees

There shall be Safety and Health Committees to cover all full-time
and part-time employees. There shall be one (1) committee per
Center unless the number of employees and/or job classifications
within a center dictate the establishment of more than one (1) committee. The respective committees will be comprised of a mutually

agreed to number of bargaining unit representatives and up to an equal number of management representatives.

Recognizing the importance of the role of the Safety and Health Committees in resolving the issues of safety, the Employer and the Union reaffirm their commitment to the active involvement of the Committees in such processes, in accordance with the terms of this Article.

The Local Union shall approve the bargaining unit members who serve on these Committees. The Union co-chair of the committee(s) shall be selected by the bargaining unit members of the committee. In the event that a Local Union desires to cease participation in the safety committees, prior approval must be authorized by the Union Co-Chair of the Teamsters United Parcel Service National Negotiating Committee who shall also inform the Employer’s President of Labor Relations of the request.

Bargaining unit members may not perform Safety Committee observations of fellow bargaining unit members that can be interpreted as being a management role. Safety Committee

Thank you for the info.

 

[LeadBelly]

Thank you for the info.

No problem. Pm me if your like me to go further in depth.

 

[By The Book]

No problem. Pm me if your like me to go further in depth.

Good points!, also if the company was to try to remove the co chair the Union could give notice to cease having a safety committee altogether. I learned long ago these are our safety committees not the companies. The company can also give notice to discontinue the safety committee, which I've never seen. The union safety co chair is appointed by the members, not management. The other safety committee members can be removed by the union. I always told my guys to dictate the agenda, you have some power.

 

[By The Book]

Sorry, I didn't read your previous post @LeadBelly2.0. I was going from memory.

 

[Mugarolla]

Safety committee positions are all appointed by the local union.

Article 18 states that safety committee members will be approved by the local union, not appointed by the local union. Big difference.

In other words, the local union can deny an employee that UPS may have selected to be on the safety committee. The local union cannot tell UPS who must be on the committee, if the company does not want that particular member on it.

I will agree that there may be some locals that do appoint the members, but that is not what the contract states.

 

[10 point]

I am management and understand that the hourly wants to remain neutral. Sometimes we don't have those choices in life. If there was a threat or some physical contact, the hourly should simply write the statement as it happened, with no opinion or speculation.
THAT is remaining neutral. We are all responsible for our action, whether management or union.
If the Steward was way beyond the bounds of professionalism, he should be held accountable.
If it was simply blowing off steam, then let it go.
There's always a back story that we never hear about...

Then....
Bring your own "witness" if it's that important.

A "back story"? Always?
Ok.

 

[PiedmontSteward]

I believe the steward is only a equal with management when he is in a actual meeting. Also I believe he can only go 1 step above how the manager is acting.

The way he made it sound to me was this wasn't a meeting it was a argument that got out of hand.

I agree though I would be interested in knowing what it was myself.

A steward is equal to a manager at all times when acting on behalf of the bargaining unit. The exception to this is when the steward's own work performance is being discussed.

Stewards can curse, yell, etc and it is protected activity. The level of protection varies according to the circumstances (most protected in a meeting in the office) and doesn't allow the steward to actively disrupt the workplace or use racial slurs, sexist speech, violent threats or acts, or be excessively vulgar.