Trimess

Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Trimet continues demoralizing its union employees

There has been some kind of major change to the way full time operators select their routes every three months. I've asked several people to help me understand what's going on but I still don't have a clear conception of exactly what is changing here.

From what I understand, only the top 100 senior employees will get to sign runs as they have always done before, the rest of the operators have to sign something called 'blocks', which I don't quite understand. From what I do understand this will limit operators choice more severally and hand the company more control over how these sign ups can function and how the work is parceled out.

I have not heard anybody speak in support of this change that is currently an operator at Trimet.

Apparently ATU757 is supporting this change. This was done without consulting the members (what else is new) and the union leadership has signed off on the change. I have heard plenty of grumbling about the unions role in all this. Members are not happy. It's not unusual for these type of major changes to be made without consulting members. For example the union leadership signed away the right to strike without bothering to ask its members if they supported that.

Our union is being strong armed by a by a conniving tricksters, yet they are cooperating with them to destabilize employees lives? I just don't get it? Not at all.......

8 comments:

John St Clair said...

Ok. first it's a pilot project which means that if we don't like it it's history. The union hasn't signed off on anything. Merely presenting to the members.
2nd it's presumably to create more straight runs and weekend choices for those who wouldn't see those for awhile.
3rd there is some support among some drivers for the IDEA...except of course from those busy jumping up and down screaming that those rotten management bastards are just trying to trick us again. Let's see if it actually benefits operators before we pass judgement.

Unknown said...

Anti union culture. Bunch of theories and the destruction of seniority, which has been a staple of Union culture since the beginning of unions.
HB

punkrawker4783 said...

How does your pick work?

Here, a seniority list comes out with a date and time, you head down to the downtown base, and pick your work.

All the work is posted, you come in and write your id number on 5 pieces of work, plus RDOs, then the next guy picks from whats left using the same process and so on until its all gone.

Al M said...

That's basically how it worked but each operator takes one pick then the next op choses what they like and so on

Max said...

Al you already covered this change -- so it's not a surprise. Maybe Jason can find the post; or maybe it was in Neil or Shelly's report at the board meeting.

Al M said...

So I covered it again, and all i can say is that i know several operators who know several dozen operators and nobody likes it

Max said...

You said you don't understand what has changed -- I'm telling you that I've already heard about the changes (most likely from one of your posts). So you just need to go back and find that post so you can understand.

I'm not surprised people you know don't like it. The union membership's default position for anything TriMet does (including the Roadeo) is to be suspicious & paranoid.

Al M said...

Yes and it should be suspicious and paranoid.
And that is because Trimet has acted in bad faith towards the union and plenty of individual drivers.

It doesn't come from nowhere Max