Union Victories

It Pays to Belong to the Union

Local No. 1101 (San Jose) was made aware that a breach occurred in the seniority clause of the collective bargaining agreement with Frontier Ford. The violation was promptly investigated and it was determined that the violation was factual. One of our members was laid off out of seniority.

The Local filed a grievance and also requested information from the Employer. The Employer however, delayed in providing the information requested. After several letters to the Employer the Local was moving toward a charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The Employer did provide some information which showed the violation had occurred. After a meeting with the Employer, the grievance was denied. The Local moved to the next step of the grievance procedure and requested a “Board of Adjustment”. Both the first and second Board of Adjustment deadlocked.

The Union requested “Arbitration” as per the agreement. The Employer hired an attorney and although there were several meetings to settle the case, the parties could not agree. Finally the date of Arbitration was set. It was at this point that the final offer from the Employer was put forth. The offer was for $30,000 in liquidated damages.

After the member met with the Business Representative, Richard Breckenridge, the member decided to settle and accept the offer. He felt refusal to do so would put a target on this back.

This is a clear example of “it pays to belong to the Union.”

Unjust Termination Overturned

Paul Fonseca was terminated unjustly by the Golden Gate Bridge District. He was returned to work 3 years later with back pay. We had to go back to the Arbitrator the following year to get the award amount; the Bridge District did not want to pay. Mr. Fonseca received a considerable award.

District 190 leads west in organizing

District Lodge 190 won more awards for organizing than any other district at the last Western Regional IAM conference. That comes as no surprise to Directing Business Representative Jim Beno. “We put 30% of our resources into organizing,” Beno says, “because organizing is the future of our union.” District Lodge 190 has six organizers on staff, working out of Modesto, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose and Concord. The District gained 25 new shops for a total of more than 350 members. Of the National Labor Relations Board elections held, the District won 17 and lost only two, which is far higher than the nation average of 52%.