News

Union files statewide grievance on recent weather emergency; Submit individual grievance forms by Jan. 21

Jan. 4, 2005 (updated Jan. 10, 2005) - A class action grievance has been filed by the union with the Office of Collective Bargaining (OCB) for OCSEA members in any and all classifications and agencies over the recent weather/snow emergency. The Article 13.15 grievance seeks appropriate compensation for state employees on this matter for the period of Dec. 23 through approximately Dec. 29.

Bargaining unit members who were unable to get to work, told not to report to work, only able to work part of the day because of outages or believe they are eligible for premium pay, should complete an individual grievance form with a detailed account of their personal circumstances by Jan. 21, 2005.

Please provide as much detail as possible, including:

• Name of any supervisor who advised members not to come in
• Counties in which you live and work
• Counties affected by the power outage and/or road conditions
• Work schedule
• Hours of power outage
• Type of leave used

Grievances should be labeled “Weather/Snow Emergency Grievances” and submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Jan. 21, 2005.

Fax to: 614-865-4777

or

Mail to: ATTN: Weather/Snow Emergency
           OCSEA/AFSCME Local 11
           390 Worthington Rd., Ste. A
           Westerville, OH 43082-83

Stewards and chapter leaders should note that OCSEA headquarters does not want chapter grievances listing several people on one form, especially for conglomerate chapters.

Members who submit grievances to OCSEA headquarters should notify your chapter president or steward that a grievance has been filed on your behalf.

If you have questions, please call OCSEA at 614-865-4700 or 800-969-4702. Please share the UBBN posting on the weather grievance with your co-workers.

Article 13.15 - Emergency Leave states:

Employees directed not to report to work or sent home due to weather conditions or another emergency shall be granted leave with pay at regular rate for their scheduled work hours during the duration of the emergency.

Employees required to report to work or required to stay at work during such emergency shall receive pay at time and one-half (1 1/2) for hours worked during the emergency.

Any overtime worked during an emergency shall be paid at double time.

An emergency shall be considered to exist when declared by the Employer, for the county, area or facility where an employee lives or works. For the purpose of this Section, an emergency shall not be considered to be an occurrence which is normal or reasonably foreseeable to the place of employment and/or position description of the employee.

Essential employees shall be required to work during emergencies. Essential employees who do not report as required during an emergency must show cause that they were prevented from reporting because of the emergency.