One of the biggest issues threatening the 100% union position we enjoy in our jurisdiction, not to mention the health and safety of our members, is not following the required safety rules and taking short cuts. In some cases this has resulted in uncalled for work procedure errors and circuit interruptions.
Mid-year 2013 Local 1245 added language to the referral of everyone who is dispatched from our hiring hall. It basically states that if you are terminated as a result of a safety violation you will be suspended from taking a call out of this hall until the incident has been investigated by local union. If found that it is a violation, action may be taken that could lead to additional training and or penalties by the union depending on the magnitude and frequency of violations.
Beginning mid-January we started interviewing every traveler/local member in person before they’re dispatched, either one-on-one or in small groups to go over their credentials and to explain Local 1245’s value on safety.