On the Workroom Floor Elliot Simmons and Cole Billups

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In today's bonus episode, Cole and Elliot discuss 4 short topics. CCA Uniforms, Management trying to have a witness in the meetings, T6 overtime, and 3189s.

This week Cole goes into how to grieve late route postings and Elliot gives a taste of monetary escalations.

The hosts are talking about how management is attacking the certification of union stewards, and they encourage listeners to get management to acknowledge their certification in writing. They also discuss the use of "cease and desist" agreements and how to get them, as well as the use of monetary escalations. The hosts provide examples from their own experience, including a case where they got an arbitration award for $20 per day for late postings. They conclude by encouraging listeners to join their Discord and stay tuned for future episodes on Step B and OWCp.

This week Elliot takes the lead and discusses the importance of preparation, including having a strong issue statement, facts, and contentions ready to go. They also talk about the importance of not giving management information beforehand and making sure to get your grievance filed on time. The hosts also discuss the importance of negotiating for a cease-and-desist agreement or monetary escalation. The hosts then provide some examples of how to write an issue statement and how to negotiate for a settlement. Finally, they wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to email them with any questions.

On this episode, our friend Greg comes on and talks about the state of our contract negotiations and he, Elliot, and Cole share their thoughts on the matters and look at things from a steward's perspective.



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In this episode, Cole and Elliot simulate an informal grievance meeting between a union steward and a supervisor. They discuss a case where a carrier worked penalty overtime when they were not supposed to, which is a violation of Article 8.5.F of the collective bargaining agreement. The steward challenges the supervisor's understanding of the contract and argues that the carrier should be paid for the time they worked, as this is a slam dunk win. The supervisor is hesitant to settle but eventually agrees to a settlement. Throughout the episode, Cole and Elliot highlight important points for stewards to keep in mind when handling grievances, such as building relationships with management, knowing the contract, and being prepared to present evidence and arguments.