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Monday, February 01, 2010

Even if you pay your dues, they won't protect you

I just got an email from my mother, my stepfather is at work this morning, and the shop is full of union reps to make sure that the man that is bumping my stepfather out of a job, doesn't get mistreated.

Of course my stepfather is a card carrying Union member who pays his dues, but who is there to protect him? It begs the question, whose. . . how to I put this delicately?. . . whose rear is this guy kissing?

There is one person that is on my stepfather's side. A union rep that is trying to get him some severance pay.

On the plus side of all this, the tension in the shop and within the union is so high, that this situation isn't bound to happen again.

9 comments:

alrescate said...

It doesn't seem right...the Union should be watching out for both men. I hope your stepdad gets that severance pay.

Meadowlark said...

Is it a butt kissing situation or does the other guy have "technical" seniority? Which, unfortunately, I know can mean only one-day-more. :(

Sending thoughts of ass-kickery your way. Best I can do.

SkippyMom said...

I was under the impression this was management's decision to move the new man and in and your stepfather out.

Does the new guy weild this kind of power? Because if he did I wouldn't think he would need Union Reps to protect him.

In all my years I have never heard of a union doing something so nefarious to a fellow member [getting rid of one to place another] they are pretty stong on legalities so if something isn't on par [as you all believe] then you really need to contact someone else in the union to have it straightened out.

Not everyone in the union will be "connected" to this situation and there will be someone to help you all to figure why and if what they did was legal. It may just take a bit of time.

Good luck.

The Craftivist said...

Sounds about right. My husband isn't a union member at his job, but the union still operates there so he has to pay dues. He doesn't get any benefit from the union (in fact he personally can't stand unions), they don't fight for him in any way, but he's still giving them a percentage of his check every week. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all get paid for doing nothing like that?

Phelan said...

As far as I know he has done the only thing he can, file a grievance. Which was denied. It is apparently part of the Union rules.

One rep is helping him out.

I don't know if he has technical seniority or not.

Sparkless said...

Sounds like that union needs some new rules. Most of the unions here do the bumping thing too but the person bumped would have bumping rights too. So it would end up the least senior person with the fewest hours worked would end up the one to lose his or her job.
I hope your stepdad gets a much better job quickly.

Anonymous said...

Craftivist your husband needs to take his pay stub to the labor board. They are not allowed to remove money from his check for the UNION if he is not a card carrying member. That is illegal.

So if the money is in fact going to the Union you need to stop it if he isn't in it.

Don't go to his HR or boss - go right to the laborboard. If the money is actually going to something else they will be able to explain, but if it is going to the Union they will stop it.

Phelan said...

Because it is illegal to lay off workers that are deployed, and because of the other major lay offs in the recent months. My stepfather is considered the lowest in that department. This new guy should be considered the lowest now, because he hasn't done this job in 30 years. Who knows where it stands.

Sparkless, he had the right to file a grievance, just like the guy bumping him did. Only my stepfather's grievance was denied, while the other guys wasn't.

P~ said...

Sorry to hear about your stepfathers troubles. Hope all works out some how. I know you'll all pull together as you always do.
Best~
P~

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