Importance of attending your Panel Hearing?
- Thread starter eeobrown
- Start date
UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)
Well-Known Member
Can you afford to lose your job?
PiedmontSteward
RTW-4-Less
Does your local's bylaws cover travel expenses for fired members attending panel?
Brownslave688
You want a toe? I can get you a toe.
I would say if you want to keep your job going would be if the utmost importance.
brown_trousers
Well-Known Member
Kinda sounds like its a worthwhile investment to show up at the hearing, even if it does mean putting the travel expenses on a credit card. Better safe than sorry!
barnyard
KTM rider
Maybe the BA does not have a good sense that your case will go well and is trying to save you some money.
You should always attend your panel hearing. For one thing, you cannot rely on the Business Agent to adequately represent you. It may be a case where you actually have a good case according to the contract, but, for whatever reason, the BA does not feel like pushing your case. I went to a panel hearing once, and my goofy BA (who was immediately hired by UPS as a supervisor when he later lost his BA election) did not adequately represent me and even kept interrupting me when I was given a minute to state my case.
No one knows the details of your case as well as you do, and you need to be present to give testimony on your behalf, just as you would in a court of law. In my experience, the Union appeared to have an inherent disadvantage at the panel hearings to start with. The company will likely be represented on the panel by executives with masters degrees while the union will likely be represented on the panel by truck drivers who perhaps do not have the advantage of having advanced degrees. (Please be assured that I am not criticizing the Union representation on the panel or truck drivers, only pointing out that there may be an unequal match regarding education and business experience.)
The panel will probably conclude that you did not consider your case very important if you don't show up. Can you imagine going asking for a variance from your local zoning board and not bothering to show up?
No one knows the details of your case as well as you do, and you need to be present to give testimony on your behalf, just as you would in a court of law. In my experience, the Union appeared to have an inherent disadvantage at the panel hearings to start with. The company will likely be represented on the panel by executives with masters degrees while the union will likely be represented on the panel by truck drivers who perhaps do not have the advantage of having advanced degrees. (Please be assured that I am not criticizing the Union representation on the panel or truck drivers, only pointing out that there may be an unequal match regarding education and business experience.)
The panel will probably conclude that you did not consider your case very important if you don't show up. Can you imagine going asking for a variance from your local zoning board and not bothering to show up?
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brown_trousers
Well-Known Member
Very true! These arbitrators are like judges in the way they collect facts and arguments and try to make the best decisions based on the verbatim of the contract. I have much respect for my BA, but he honestly doesnt strike me as having the attorney like mindset and attitude that would win in arbitration. I would most definately show up for my own hearing if I my job was on the line!
barnyard
KTM rider
This point cannot be emphasized enough.
UPS has attorneys on staff, throughout the country that have studied labor law throughout their entire careers. For the most part, if a Teamster gets that far in their education, they go into management.
Hoffa is a labor lawyer and it is important to remember that we need people that have advanced degrees in our corner.
