Driver Question

[DazedandConfused]

Yes....went thru the progressions for both pt air and cover driving. According to the rider-appendix A, I am at the 75% rate of our full time package car drivers top rate. I am in the Upstate/West NY region. I never have read the book too much until this change started coming down and ran across the wage progressions of Art.40. It's been a real eye opening, nerve-racking experience trying to understand a lot of what is in there.

 

[dilligaf]

I am looking at it right now....It is so confusing

The thing to do would be to go to your steward and ask. If you get no answers then ask for the phone of your BA(Business Agent) and Union Hall.

 

[UnconTROLLed]

There is clear wording in the book for PT Air, FT Air , and FT Bid Drivers. The 31st day for a full time driver is his/her new seniority date. Can a FT person who has always worked inside and never wanted to drive come out and jump ahead based on their Center or Company seniority?

Here are a few thoughts. Again, ask a steward these questions and tell us what the answers are. I would like to know WHY you are having these problems. It is interesting to hear about how your local is changing it's application of seniority but you make no mention your exact situation!

Around here, any FT employee has seniority over a PT employee. So a 20 year PT employee will not have rights to work over a FT of 1 year, will not pick vacations before a FT, etc. Those are a couple reasons for 2 lists.

A FT person, around here, cannot come in and "jump ahead" of a PT temporary cover driver (TCD). The TCD positions are for PT employees! Therefore the TCD work will be given by seniority off the PT list in your building or centers. The FT person can only bid into jobs that are FT permanent positions. However, if the PT persons job is combined with another PT job, that can be made a FT job. That is generally not tied in with TCDs work though.

Also, anyones seniority date should be the FIRST day of wage progression, when they entered the job, not the last day. I do not think I have ever heard of it any other way...

 

[DazedandConfused]

First of all, this whole thing over Seniority started when one of the most senior pt'ers was told his bid was ready to be filled. Turned out that there was a dispute from two other pt'ers over that new bid spot. To make a long story short, the one that was told it was ready didn't get it, got mad, and filed a grieveance. So our local (by way of a vote) decided to go with Company Seniority to rule over everything. Like I said before, we were driven in each category by what we were told was our qualifying date(after going to driving school-our 31st day was our qualifying date). It was done like that for the previous 15-20(some say more) or so. Because of his griveance, it got me and the ones affected looking into the National agreement. It wasn't until I thought of transfering (as a pt'er) that I noticed that Job Classification Seniority and Company Seniority used like they were two different animal, so to speak. I tried to mention what I found in the wage progression to a couple of stewards and was pretty much told that a done deal and if we were to pursue it farther to get a lawyer. We tried to argue PAST PRACTICE before the above mentioned vote took place and were told that it didn't apply and couldn't use it as an arguement. I later was given a page from the steward training manual on Past Practice and everything made sense and seem to apply(at least to me)....lol. That didn't work either. The local and the stewards are sick of hearing from us. That is what brought me to the Cafe. BTW, our BA is the head of our local.

 

[DazedandConfused]

I asked the steward and they said to take it up with the BA as the matter was settled. Haven't had the chance to talk to her yet.

 

[DazedandConfused]

Did I give enough info on how this mess started? Thing that still befuddles me is how someone with more pt company seniority(especially if they have not ever qualified before as a driver) can bump a pt driver if they are given they ARE given seniority at the first wage progression. It seems to me that having a seniority date in a driving position determines the order in which the driving spots are to be filled. Make sense???