Brothers and Sisters,
Overtime? There is no other one word that evokes more emotion. Whether it is “required” or voluntary it still is a very serious issue of contention. Management cannot seem to ask or require in the same manner in any 2 locations. Several times the confusion has even been in the same location between 2 managers that cannot agree on how it should be offered. Over the last 3 months I have dealt with more overtime issues than almost all other issues combined. It all starts with a current up to date overtime roster, which contractually is to be maintained and posted on a weekly basis. Please check the board in your respective area to make sure this is done weekly. We all need to be diligent in this matter since this is usually where the trouble starts.
In situations concerning Outside Plant, we have been successful in resolving most of the issues as long we are made aware of the problem before the day tour gets off work. In the Fiber Solution Center issues have come up where overtime was being asked days in advance, only to be canceled at the absolute last minute. This has caused many of our member’s problems with child-care when they make plans to either to come in early or stay late. We are still working on this issue and will report back as soon as we have some resolution.
Next, we need every Brother and Sister to work only the overtime he or she is entitled to. Several things happen when you work overtime that you are not entitled to. First and foremost, it causes dissention within our membership. How can we stand together if we are arguing with each other about overtime? Also as I stated earlier, the roster is to be maintained and posted weekly but more important, balanced quarterly. When someone works overtime without it being offered correctly that is almost impossible for it to end up balanced. As you can see, working overtime that you are not entitled to hurts everyone. The closer we get to negotiations the more important it is that we are all unified.
In Solidarity,
Danny
