Getting ugly

BigBrown1234

Well-Known Member
Did you sit in any hearings with any members as their steward, initial off any Pittsburgh file "talk withs", etc?

Yes, Management called me in as a steward that was recognized by the BA plenty of times to witness when management was questioning a member.
Iv never seen anything I needed to sign off on.
To this day members still request I go in the office with them. Members regularly want me in the office instead of the BA or they want me to be in there with the BA because In their opinion the BA seems too political, shady, or lazy.

I too had many problems with my old BA. In my opinion he was dishonest and lazy. At the union meetings I would get in huge arguments with him in front of the entire hall. Several times during meetings I openly expressed my irritation with his slurred speech and that I felt I could smell alcohol from 3’ away.

After filling millions of complaints against him. NLRB, IBT,JC,Local, DOL. He finally stepped down. Unfortunately that wasn’t my agenda. I just wanted him to do his job at the expectations I expected from representation that my hard earned money pays for every month.
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
Yes, Management called me in as a steward that was recognized by the BA plenty of times to witness when management was questioning a member.
Iv never seen anything I needed to sign off on.
To this day members still request I go in the office with them. Members regularly want me in the office instead of the BA or they want me to be in there with the BA because In their opinion the BA seems too political, shady, or lazy.

I too had many problems with my old BA. In my opinion he was dishonest and lazy. At the union meetings I would get in huge arguments with him in front of the entire hall. Several times during meetings I openly expressed my irritation with his slurred speech and that I felt I could smell alcohol from 3’ away.

After filling millions of complaints against him. NLRB, IBT,JC,Local, DOL. He finally stepped down. Unfortunately that wasn’t my agenda. I just wanted him to do his job at the expectations I expected from representation that my hard earned money pays for every month.
Were you brought into the office and given a steward's copy of warning ltrs when an employee was given a warning ltr?
Labor
Local
Steward
Employee
File
All get copies.
Ever get a duplicate for the steward's position?

All hearings have names and positions of those in attendance logged.

If you weren't included in any of these issues, no signing as union representative, no stewards training signature on the local log, no other recognition as a steward in any capacity I dont know what to tell you except there's a piece of this puzzle missing and it may be on you for taking all this for granted.

If you put the BA on blast at the local meetings and had no platform as a steward that you could show evidence of then you left yourself wide open to be omitted by people who want to discredit you.
 
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542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
Were you brought into the office and given a steward's copy of warning ltrs when an employee was given a warning ltr?
Labor
Local
Steward
Employee
File
All get copies.
Ever get a duplicate for the steward's position?

Non of our stewards get copies of warning letters. Ours are all sent to the member certified mail and also to the local. Stewards in are local also do not sign grievances. There is a place to write there name and phone number.

I could be wrong but are you sure all these things are not local related?
 
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Non of our stewards get copies of warning letters. Ours are all sent to the member certified mail and also to the local. Stewards in are local also do not sign grievances. There is a place to write there name and phone number.

I could be wrong but are you sure all these things may be local related?
Same here. Certified to the person getting the warning letter and regular mail to the union hall.
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
Non of our stewards get copies of warning letters. Ours are all sent to the member certified mail and also to the local. Stewards in are local also do not sign grievances. There is a place to write there name and phone number.

I could be wrong but are you sure all these things may be local related?
You bet there are all done here.
We get all of the above.
 

Inthegame

Well-Known Member
Non of our stewards get copies of warning letters. Ours are all sent to the member certified mail and also to the local. Stewards in are local also do not sign grievances. There is a place to write there name and phone number.

I could be wrong but are you sure all these things may be local related?
There is no standard grievance form issued from the IBT. It's a local thing, ours need steward signatures. Also as a steward I made and kept copies of every grievance (+notes) I handled. Turned over hundreds of copies to my successor.
 

542thruNthru

Well-Known Member
There is no standard grievance form issued from the IBT. It's a local thing, ours need steward signatures. Also as a steward I made and kept copies of every grievance (+notes) I handled. Turned over hundreds of copies to my successor.

I knew grievance forms were different across the country. I like idea of making a copy of the grievance. I'll have to see if my shop steward does that. Thank you for that.
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
Same here. Certified to the person getting the warning letter and regular mail to the union hall.
Nope. Here they have got to have a steward present when a warning ltr is given and only in person. The only thing sent out by cert mail is a 72 hr notification or a termination letter during suspension.
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
Non of our stewards get copies of warning letters. Ours are all sent to the member certified mail and also to the local. Stewards in are local also do not sign grievances. There is a place to write there name and phone number.

I could be wrong but are you sure all these things are not local related?
Whether they are local related or not I was trying to jog the @BigBrown1234 poster's memory to glean any tidbit to help. It is all a shot in the dark when fishing for leads in someone else's local practices.
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
A steward must be present with us as well.
Some locals in our state get them mailed out certified without a steward physically present but we filed on that and settled it as is above. If you only knew how many warning and suspension ltrs have been thrown out in the last ten+ yrs because they were past the ten day deadline. It's been very frustrating for the management.
 

BigUnionGuy

Got the T-Shirt
There is no standard grievance form issued from the IBT. It's a local thing, ours need steward signatures.


Yep.

In my Local, the only signatures on a grievance (if settled locally) are the

BA and the labor manager. The Stewards always punch the grievance on a

time clock, so there are no issues of it being "timely".


Also as a steward I made and kept copies of every grievance (+notes) I handled. Turned over hundreds of copies to my successor.


My man.

I did the same exact thing.

Used a 3-hole punch and kept everything in a binder. :biggrin:

It's a small world.



-Bug-
 

twoweeled

Well-Known Member
Yes, Management called me in as a steward that was recognized by the BA plenty of times to witness when management was questioning a member.
Iv never seen anything I needed to sign off on.
To this day members still request I go in the office with them. Members regularly want me in the office instead of the BA or they want me to be in there with the BA because In their opinion the BA seems too political, shady, or lazy.

I too had many problems with my old BA. In my opinion he was dishonest and lazy. At the union meetings I would get in huge arguments with him in front of the entire hall. Several times during meetings I openly expressed my irritation with his slurred speech and that I felt I could smell alcohol from 3’ away.

After filling millions of complaints against him. NLRB, IBT,JC,Local, DOL. He finally stepped down. Unfortunately that wasn’t my agenda. I just wanted him to do his job at the expectations I expected from representation that my hard earned money pays for every month.

Hats off to you. That must've been difficult. Sad, but it seemed that stewards involvement had declined big time. In the last years, it seemed they were always just trying to diffuse everything. Almost trying to minimize potential work for the local, was my impression. The stewards were well schooled on the contract, but appeared to be told; just keep things as quiet as you can. More than once, I would pat the steward on the arm, and tell him; let me take care of this. So often, stewards and sometimes BS's were already capitulating to management, before the issue was addressed! Management has really attained a different attitude and posture now. Management knows it's in the driver's seat. Or at least they act like it.
It's difficult and dangerous to attack the local's people. So often, we know something is wrong, but good luck being able to prove it.
I occasionally was called into the office (in package) for someone else, but was only there as a witness. I was told I could not participate in the discussion. If I was able too, on the way into the office, I would whisper to the driver; minimize your talking, say as little as possible, cut it short. They have already decided what they are going to do. They are just trying to gather more info to solidify their case on you. Let them do what they'er going to do till you speak to your BA.
Rarely would drivers listen. They always seemed to think they could talk their way out of it.
That was "rarely" the case.
 

BigBrown1234

Well-Known Member
Hats off to you. That must've been difficult. Sad, but it seemed that stewards involvement had declined big time. In the last years, it seemed they were always just trying to diffuse everything. Almost trying to minimize potential work for the local, was my impression. The stewards were well schooled on the contract, but appeared to be told; just keep things as quiet as you can. More than once, I would pat the steward on the arm, and tell him; let me take care of this. So often, stewards and sometimes BS's were already capitulating to management, before the issue was addressed! Management has really attained a different attitude and posture now. Management knows it's in the driver's seat. Or at least they act like it.
It's difficult and dangerous to attack the local's people. So often, we know something is wrong, but good luck being able to prove it.
I occasionally was called into the office (in package) for someone else, but was only there as a witness. I was told I could not participate in the discussion. If I was able too, on the way into the office, I would whisper to the driver; minimize your talking, say as little as possible, cut it short. They have already decided what they are going to do. They are just trying to gather more info to solidify their case on you. Let them do what they'er going to do till you speak to your BA.
Rarely would drivers listen. They always seemed to think they could talk their way out of it.
That was "rarely" the case.

Yup, right on point

No steward needed if it is standard discipline and no questions
 

BigBrown1234

Well-Known Member
Yep.

In my Local, the only signatures on a grievance (if settled locally) are the

BA and the labor manager. The Stewards always punch the grievance on a

time clock, so there are no issues of it being "timely".





My man.

I did the same exact thing.

Used a 3-hole punch and kept everything in a binder. :biggrin:

It's a small world.



-Bug-

My BA did things half as:raspberry-tounge:

He seemed to wing it lol
 

BigBrown1234

Well-Known Member
Were you brought into the office and given a steward's copy of warning ltrs when an employee was given a warning ltr?
Labor
Local
Steward
Employee
File
All get copies.
Ever get a duplicate for the steward's position?

All hearings have names and positions of those in attendance logged.

If you weren't included in any of these issues, no signing as union representative, no stewards training signature on the local log, no other recognition as a steward in any capacity I dont know what to tell you except there's a piece of this puzzle missing and it may be on you for taking all this for granted.

If you put the BA on blast at the local meetings and had no platform as a steward that you could show evidence of then you left yourself wide open to be omitted by people who want to discredit you.

How do you define hearings?

I fell into it when no one else wanted it, no training just wing most stuff. I think that’s in the BA. Most members didn’t even have a copy of the contract before me

Put BA on blast after the fact for continually lying
 
F

Frankie's Friend

Guest
How do you define hearings?

I fell into it when no one else wanted it, no training just wing most stuff. I think that’s in the BA. Most members didn’t even have a copy of the contract before me

Put BA on blast after the fact for continually lying
You dont know what a hearing is?
You've never been a steward in a local hearing?
Come on.
 
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