Forced 6th Day question

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
As most who've spoken with me know, I'm a Tues-Sat 22.4. We've been forced in on Mondays for quite a while, so in effect I'm a Mon-Sat 22.4.

Today we had a super light dispatch-- only about 30 routes went out of my center. The 22.4's almost all were scheduled off. All routes were covered, all RPCDs were present in-building and ready to work. Right after PCM, one of these drivers came pissing and moaning to dispatch about not feeling well.

After some back and forth bickering, I get called up and put on-route at the last second while the RPCD gets to go home despite bluffing that he was here and ready to work.

I'm cool with the all-day overtime, but I want more. This is the first Monday I would've had off in ages, and I wanted it. That said, I'm trying to figure out how to write up a grievance based on sending home scheduled workers and forcing unscheduled workers to cover on their day off. Gonna talk with a shop steward in the AM but in the meantime I kind of wanted to get everything lined up, but I might be SoL because I'm having trouble finding any contractual language about this for 22.4s. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's just to let me know it's a losing battle and not worth filing.
 
As most who've spoken with me know, I'm a Tues-Sat 22.4. We've been forced in on Mondays for quite a while, so in effect I'm a Mon-Sat 22.4.

Today we had a super light dispatch-- only about 30 routes went out of my center. The 22.4's almost all were scheduled off. All routes were covered, all RPCDs were present in-building and ready to work. Right after PCM, one of these drivers came pissing and moaning to dispatch about not feeling well.

After some back and forth bickering, I get called up and put on-route at the last second while the RPCD gets to go home despite bluffing that he was here and ready to work.

I'm cool with the all-day overtime, but I want more. This is the first Monday I would've had off in ages, and I wanted it. That said, I'm trying to figure out how to write up a grievance based on sending home scheduled workers and forcing unscheduled workers to cover on their day off. Gonna talk with a shop steward in the AM but in the meantime I kind of wanted to get everything lined up, but I might be SoL because I'm having trouble finding any contractual language about this for 22.4s. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's just to let me know it's a losing battle and not worth filing.
I do not know what your supplemental languages but do not answer your phone in the morning because here if you're full time there are not allowed to put you on call
 

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
Don’t answer your phone it’s that simple

We've been required to report 6 days a week for a while now. They don't call us in, it's become a regular day for us.

So I was required to show up, but today I wasn't assigned a route. I opted to take a dead day because shoot, I haven't seen a 2-day weekend in months and now I've got the chance for a 3-day? I was all in! It was too good to be true, though, and right after PCM as I'm waiting with the other 22.4s who didn't press their guarantee today, a driver comes shuffling up and put on his best miserable face before starting an argument about how he's top of the list and the bottom should work before him, and 22.4s before them.

I've always been under the impression that seniority gave you the right to work, however, not the right to go home.

I've also been under the impression that, on Monday, all M-Fri employees should be utilized before dipping into the Tues-Sat employee pool. Likewise with Saturday-- all Tues-Sat workers should be given work before dipping into the M-Fri RPCD list.

[EDIT: I just want to say that this is not the hill I'll die on. My main gripe is being put on routes at the last second and I'm trying to send that message, because verbal communication doesn't seem to be sticking with my supervisors. I honestly don't care what route I'm assigned to on a day-to-day basis, just give me a few minutes to wrap my head around the route before pushing me out of the building with a Stevie-Wonder-and-a-shovel load.]

[EDIT2: Ahhh! I see the confusion! When I said they called me up, they didn't call my phone-- I was just chillin' with a few other workers when a supe called out my name.]
 
Last edited:

542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
Right after PCM, one of these drivers came pissing and moaning to dispatch about not feeling well.

a driver comes shuffling up and put on his best miserable face before starting an argument about how he's top of the list and the bottom should work before him, and 22.4s before them.
Which is it? Was he sick or just complaining?
I've always been under the impression that seniority gave you the right to work, however, not the right to go home.
Not here. Seniority decides everything.
I've also been under the impression that, on Monday, all M-Fri employees should be utilized before dipping into the Tues-Sat employee pool. Likewise with Saturday-- all Tues-Sat workers should be given work before dipping into the M-Fri RPCD list.
Speak with your steward.
 

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
Which is it? Was he sick or just complaining?

Not here. Seniority decides everything.

Speak with your steward.


Personally? I think he was bluffing. The dude came in "ready to work" knowing he was going to pull this. I don't think he was sick but it's honestly not my call to make-- only he really knows.

[EDIT: I get what you mean now. So he walked up and said "[Dispatch], is there anyone else who can run my route?"
"What, are you sick?"
"Sick? I feel like absolute :censored2:."
[blah blah blah]
Dispatch asks, "So you want to take a sick day?"
Driver answers "No, I can't miss two days in a row but what about all these drivers under me? What about the 22.4s? If anyone should be working, they should be."
"They're not scheduled to work today-- you are."
"But I'm sick!"
"So do you want to take a sick day or are you working? I can't make that decision for you."

(conversation paraphrased, I'm not a tape recorder)

And then a steward came up and talked quietly with the driver for a second before they both made a beeline for the center manager's office]

I just think the fact that he showed up ready to work but failed to grab his DIAD, clear his mailbox or check his truck illustrated that he had no intention of working today, and that's okay! That really doesn't matter, but waiting until after PCM to let a supe know you don't feel well seemed a lot like a last resort to get the day. And again, that's okay! What I don't like is when his BS games put me in a last minute situation. If he would've just called out like most people do when they're truly ill, everything would've worked out the way it should.

One steward's already aware, should be speaking with them in the AM.

For what it's worth, I was home shortly after 3pm. The day didn't kill me by any means, I'm just getting tired of being other drivers' insurance policy. I'm also not trying to focus on the RPCD that didn't work. I think management made another bad call and I want to start holding them accountable the same way they do me.
 
Last edited:

charm299

Well-Known Member
As most who've spoken with me know, I'm a Tues-Sat 22.4. We've been forced in on Mondays for quite a while, so in effect I'm a Mon-Sat 22.4.

Today we had a super light dispatch-- only about 30 routes went out of my center. The 22.4's almost all were scheduled off. All routes were covered, all RPCDs were present in-building and ready to work. Right after PCM, one of these drivers came pissing and moaning to dispatch about not feeling well.

After some back and forth bickering, I get called up and put on-route at the last second while the RPCD gets to go home despite bluffing that he was here and ready to work.

I'm cool with the all-day overtime, but I want more. This is the first Monday I would've had off in ages, and I wanted it. That said, I'm trying to figure out how to write up a grievance based on sending home scheduled workers and forcing unscheduled workers to cover on their day off. Gonna talk with a shop steward in the AM but in the meantime I kind of wanted to get everything lined up, but I might be SoL because I'm having trouble finding any contractual language about this for 22.4s. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's just to let me know it's a losing battle and not worth filing.
How can’t you find any language on this? Article 22.4 paragraph 5 i think, in the master says you are to work a 5 day schedule of Tuesday thru Saturday and that paragraph supersedes any other language in any other supplement
 

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
How can’t you find any language on this? Article 22.4 paragraph 5 i think, in the master says you are to work a 5 day schedule of Tuesday thru Saturday and that paragraph supersedes any other language in any other supplement
Seen that, but I thought it didn't apply during peak for no other reason than we've been working 6-day weeks for as long as my short term memory allows me to remember.

I was looking for language that specified forcing an employee to work on their unscheduled day despite being fully staffed with scheduled employees at start time. Maybe I was looking for the wrong thing?
 

charm299

Well-Known Member
Seen that, but I thought it didn't apply during peak for no other reason than we've been working 6-day weeks for as long as my short term memory allows me to remember.

I was looking for language that specified forcing an employee to work on their unscheduled day despite being fully staffed with scheduled employees at start time. Maybe I was looking for the wrong thing?
Why wouldn’t it apply during peak? that language supersedes any other language in contract.
 

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
Because I'm a dummy. That's the way they've been running things and I assumed it was all on-board. So you're saying that language excludes all Tues-Sat workers from being forced in on Mondays, no matter the time of year?

I realize that's what that particular article states but it's just not how things are done in my center during peak. 22.4s are forced in on Mondays, 0300's are forced in on Saturdays and both are waived off from the top of the seniority list if volume permits. What makes this situation new, however, is there was little enough volume to schedule to let multiple M-Fri RPCDs have the day and they were scheduled off, but I was forced to run this route at the last second because this driver wasn't high enough on the list to get the day legitimately and had to bluff his way to it.

Now! While I definitely have a bone to pick with the driver in question, it's not going to go through the grievance process. That's going to be handled in a more intimate fashion. My main concern here is how they put a Tues-Sat employee on a Monday route despite having enough M-Fri people present and accounted for to staff their operation.

And again, it's not the hill I'll die on. If I'm :censored2: out of luck in this regard, that's cool. Fine by me, it's really nothing new. I'm just trying to figure out how to make the grievance process work for me.
 
Last edited:

nWo

Well-Known Member
They shouldn't be forcing someone in on their day off so they can send a scheduled employee home. Just stay home on Mondays.
 
As most who've spoken with me know, I'm a Tues-Sat 22.4. We've been forced in on Mondays for quite a while, so in effect I'm a Mon-Sat 22.4.

Today we had a super light dispatch-- only about 30 routes went out of my center. The 22.4's almost all were scheduled off. All routes were covered, all RPCDs were present in-building and ready to work. Right after PCM, one of these drivers came pissing and moaning to dispatch about not feeling well.

After some back and forth bickering, I get called up and put on-route at the last second while the RPCD gets to go home despite bluffing that he was here and ready to work.

I'm cool with the all-day overtime, but I want more. This is the first Monday I would've had off in ages, and I wanted it. That said, I'm trying to figure out how to write up a grievance based on sending home scheduled workers and forcing unscheduled workers to cover on their day off. Gonna talk with a shop steward in the AM but in the meantime I kind of wanted to get everything lined up, but I might be SoL because I'm having trouble finding any contractual language about this for 22.4s. Any help would be appreciated, even if it's just to let me know it's a losing battle and not worth filing.
Don't know where you are, but here, Monday would be your seventh day and would be double-time all day.
 

PPH_over_9000

Well-Known Member
Don't know where you are, but here, Monday would be your seventh day and would be double-time all day.
Ahhhh, I wish! We don't work Sundays, though.

I've been dreading Sunday operations but honestly? If it meant I'd get all-day double-time one day a week I'd be all for it.

$30/hr isn't very enticing, but for some reason the thought of $40/hr is :censored2:in' mind-blowing.
 
Ahhhh, I wish! We don't work Sundays, though.

I've been dreading Sunday operations but honestly? If it meant I'd get all-day double-time one day a week I'd be all for it.

$30/hr isn't very enticing, but for some reason the thought of $40/hr is :censored2:in' mind-blowing.
We don't have Sunday package operations either. I'm a mon-fri employee, I worked feeder last night, 13.45 paid day at $80.50 an hour.
 

Sweeper

Where’s the broom?
As others have suggested read through any language regarding 22.4 in the master and your supplement. After you have read that language and it is fresh in your mind have a conversation with your steward regarding what your rights are and how to enforce them. Here there is no “bench” and if you show up to work as scheduled you are guaranteed 8 hours as a full time employee. In New England it doesn’t matter if you are a feeder driver, RPCD, 22.2, 22.3 or 22.4. If they tell you to report then you are suppose to get paid for 8. Again I’d recommend reviewing any language that you think isn’t being adhered to with your steward before you talk to management or attempt to enforce any contractual right. Interpretations of language vary wildly depending on the shoes that you are standing in.
 
Top