Recently a letter from James B Weel, Managing Director, Employee Relations, dated October 11, 2011 has been circulating on the floor. Mr. Weel claims in the letter that they have just became aware that some Tulsa union members and supervisors have been violating the TWU/AA Agreement by taking vacation in hourly increments.Local 514 was not aware of this being an issue until this letter surfaced.
The way we handle vacation in Tulsa has been a long standing practice that does not take away from production or add any additional cost to the company. Local 514 is not in agreement that it is a violation of the TWU/AA agreement. If Tulsa Management adheres to the way Employee Relations wants this done it would mean no more flexibility in our schedule for things such as kids, doctors appointments…etc. We are not aware of any advantage, financial or otherwise for the company to intentionally disrupt so many lives.
Since this letter is not specific to Tulsa the TWU ATD office has also weighed in and contacted Jim Weel asking for an explanation of this.