STOP ACTION on closures of grievances pending arbitration!

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   IF YOU HAVE ALREADY SIGNED A HARD COPY DO NOT SIGN HERE!

Dear ATU-757 Member, attached you will find a copy of a letter sent out to multiple members that have Grievances pending arbitration that are backlogged. Basically the letter is  telling the member that the union will not be litigating their grievance, claiming 1). they dont feel the grievance is 100% winnable (are any of them?) 2). they dont have the money or time to do ALL grievances AND fight with the employer over our contracts (is this not their job? do we not pay them close to 130,00 a year to take on this kind of load? did we not just hire 3 people to help with this, including Ron Heinzman? and did we not just put 800,000 into the arbitration fund? Im pretty confident we have the time and money!!) 3). if the grievance loses it MAY alter or impact the interpretation of the collective bargaining agreement negatively to all members covered thereunder. (again, nothing is ever 100% winnable). If the recipient of the letter is in disagreement, they are to call the office by September 4, 2015 OR the grievance will be considered closed! (please not in the letter Shirley states that she PLANS to recommend closure of these grievances to the eboard and the membership. (recommend means recommend) The next possible time to RECOMMEND to the eboard and or the membership is AFTER the 4th of september. So How do you recommend closure over something that has already been closed? THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO SEE HERE, IS BY ALLOWING HER TO GO THROUGH WITH THE PROCESS LAID OUT IN THIS LETTER, IS ALLOWING HER TO SHUT DOWN THE VOICE OF THE MEMBERSHIP, AND ALLOWING HER TO DISREGARD THE VALIDITY THE MEMBER FELT THEY HAD WHEN THEY FILED IN THE FIRST PLACE!!

 

By placing your signature below, you are stating that you are in agreement and stand in solidarity with all other signators to STOP ACTION on the process and finalization of grievance closures discussed by our Union President Shirley Block in a form letter sent out to multiple members dated August 11, 2015 who have a pending grievance waiting arbitration. This STOP ACTION will apply to any and all pending grievances waiting for arbitration dated and approved by the membership prior to August 15, 2015.

Fighting for the voice of the membership,

Anna Hicks