Vacation Scheduling and Floating Holidays
Guaranteed hours for grocery workers:
1 year seniority = at least 20 hours a week!
In recent weeks we have been hearing from many more members who are not getting scheduled for their minimum 20 hours of work a week.
If you have at least one year of seniority and you were available for work but do not end up averaging at least 20 hours in a week, then your employer has violated the union contract and must pay you the difference.
However, you must notify the union office or your union representative right away so a timely grievance can be filed on your behalf.
The employers have long argued for flexibility in scheduling part-time employees to accommodate the customers’ shopping patterns. That is standard in the grocery industry. Your union believes that part-time employees union should have access to the same benefits as full-time employees. That is why we have insisted for many years that if you have been employed for more than a year, you are guaranteed at least 20 hours so you will be guaranteed your benefits.
Article 5, Section C of the contract between the union and your employer guarantees your access to health coverage, holiday pay, vacation pay, sick pay and pension if you work an average of at least 20 hours a week.
The contract also states that if the employer cannot guarantee 20 hours a week to employees with one or more years of seniority, then the employer should lay off the least-senior employees.
While no one likes to see employees laid off, the failure to lay off the least-senior employees can cause even greater hardship. Rather than “spreading the poverty,” at least most of the workers can receive a regular paycheck while the fewer who get laid off are eligible for unemployment compensation and have recall rights to their jobs when business improves.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! ENFORCE THE CONTRACT! |
Vacation Scheduling
Your contract, Article 7, allows you to schedule vacations by seniority. At the beginning of the year, your Company is supposed to put up a vacation schedule so you can fill in your requested time off. The filled out vacation schedule should not be posted later than February 28.
No later than 4 weeks after the schedule is filled out and taken down, your Employer must let you know if your vacation has been approved by seniority. If more people request a week off than the Company allows, the most senior shall have first rights to the vacation week in question.
If your vacation selection date is not allowed due to more senior employees selecting the same vacation date(s) there is a 2nd selection period that extends though April 15.
If you do not select vacation during these periods, your Employer can assign you vacation time. Often, vacations that are not chosen during the selection times are given out on a first come – first serve basis.
The contract allows for vacations every week of the year so a manager cannot block off certain weeks such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. They may allow only one person off but they cannot refuse everyone’s request.
Once your vacation has been selected, it generally can’t be changed. There is a provision in the contract, however, that says your vacation can be changed “for legitimate business purposes”. However, the circumstances to deny must be very extraordinary and if you are being told that your vacation is being cancelled and you have specific plans (airline tickets, family reunion, etc.) then we suggest you call your Union Representative immediately to try to work out a solution.
Floating Holidays
Your floating holidays are a benefit that you have earned and can’t be taken away. If you don’t use them, the Company MUST pay you for them at the end of December.
You earn floating holidays on January 1 of each year. If you were hired prior to June 20, 2004 (December 19, 2004 for outlying stores) you earn 4 floating holidays. If you were hired after June 20, 2004 (December 19, 2004 for outlying stores) you earn 3 floating holidays provided you have been employed for at least 1 year on that January 1.
To use a floating holiday you have to give your manager (or whomever is responsible for writing the schedule) at least 2 weeks notice that you want a specific date off as a paid floating holiday. The date to be taken off has to be by mutual agreement between you and the manager.
24 Hour No Call No show
MAKE THE RIGHT CALL - DON'T LOSE YOUR JOB.
Employees are losing their jobs over a simple telephone call. I cannot stress enough that it is the employee's responsibility to properly report their absence to management within twenty-four (24) hours of the scheduled shift.
To properly report your absence, you must contact a member of management. If you don't reach a member of management, you must continue trying until you do - even if you reach them after your shift has started. You must contact management within 24 hours of your initial shift. It is better to call late rather than not at all. It could mean the difference of only a written warning versus a discharge or voluntary resignation.
It is not worth losing your job when all it takes is a telephone call from you personally. On many occasions, employees fail to report their absences for several reasons:
- Management will be upset with me
- I attempted but no one answered the phone
- I spoke to someone who answered and asked them to tell management
- My mom - my spouse called in for me
- I'll let them know when I report for my next shift
The list of reasons goes on and on. But remember, these are reasons that will lose your job.
Last but not least, let's help each other. If you know a co-worker who has not reported for their shift, give them a call. let them know they should call management about their absence. They may have made an honest mistake by misreading their schedule. Your call could save them their job. |
