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    TEAMSTERS LOCAL 763
  Public, Professional, Office-Clerical Employees, and Drivers
     14675 Interurban Ave S, Ste 305, Tukwila, WA 98168 (206)441-0763 (877)441-0763

EMS Updates

IMPORTANT NOTICE: grievances and other time sensitive materials will not be accepted via email. If you need assistance, please contact your business agent.
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AMR Facebook Settlement

Teamsters Local 763 Report—AMR Bargaining Units

This report is to keep Teamster members at American Medical Response up to date on the latest issues and grievances in their workplace. If you have questions or comments, please call Business Agent Liz Brown at 206-441-0763.

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Audit of dependents covered by AMR Health plans underway

AMR is conducting an audit of the dependents (spouse, children) whom employees have enrolled in its health insurance plans. Both EMT and Com Center employees with dependents on the plan should have received an initial outreach letter about this process, which requires employees with enrolled dependents to respond by AUGUST 31 or risk losing coverage for dependents. AMR has planned multiple reminders to employees, but the wisest response is to fill out the survey and return it as soon as possible. Teamsters 763 will do what we can to assist in reminding employees to complete this important paperwork.

AMR Com Center Bargaining Unit

The big story here is contract negotiations, which are in full swing after three sessions on May 17, 18 and 19. The contract covering 30 people in Dispatch expires July 31. The bargaining team includes Shop Stewards Sean Bacon and Gene Pratt. More dates are scheduled in June and July.

There has been one grievance in the Com Center since Feb. 1, when the new business agent came on board. The grievance was resolved satisfactorily on behalf of an employee who missed part of a shift because of a death in the family.

AMR EMT Bargaining Unit

The EMT bargaining unit is a big one, and not surprisingly it generates the bulk of grievances and other issues.

Scheduling has been the big complaint, and the implementation of the online scheduling system is raising concerns because using it requires reliable internet access. Employees who lack internet access at home—and there are some—must use the system at work. That’s not problem free either. Employees at the Federal Way station, for example, say internet service in their location has been down for days on end. We are in the process of scheduling a Labor-Management Committee meeting to address this issue.

The Union is still laboriously rebuilding our e-mail list for the EMTs. If you are reading this on a bulletin board and didn’t receive it by e-mail, it means you’re not on the AMR EMT e-mail list! Please call Liz Brown at 206-441-0763 or send an e-mail to liz.brown@teamsters763.org to get on the list.

Here are all the grievances filed in the EMT unit since Feb. 1 (numbers missing from the sequence were filed at other workplaces):

10-001, filed Feb. 4, 2010, resolved March 11, 2010.

On behalf of the entire EMT bargaining unit, challenging the employer’s refusal to pay wage increases to employees moving to new steps on the contractual wage scale.

↑Resolution: Employer agreed to pay the increases to more than 40 employees with employment anniversary dates between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2010.

10-005, filed March 10, withdrawn April 30.

Employees were denied a lift assist.

↓Resolution: Employer denied the grievance because the patient did not weigh more than 300 pounds, as stated in the contract.

10-006, filed March 19, resolved March 30.

On behalf of the entire bargaining unit, challenging the way AMR was assigning penalty points in the new attendance policy in the contract.

↑Resolution: Employer agreed it was assigning too many penalty points in error; warnings were revised or in some cases removed from employees’ files. Under the attendance system, consecutive days of illness count as one absence.

10-007, filed March 26.

The grievant alleged she was denied certain shifts in violation of the contract and seniority standing.

↓Resolution: Denied by employer, still open.

10-008, filed March 29, 2010, resolved April 12.

Employee grieved a disciplinary warning because she received it more than 20 days after the incident.

↑Resolution: Employer removed the warning from the employee’s personnel file.

10-009, filed April 14, 2010, withdrawn May 25.

Employee grieved for not receiving four paid shifts for bereavement leave.

↓Resolution: Union withdrew the grievance after AMR presented evidence showing past practice is to pay for four consecutive days, not four consecutive shifts of bereavement leave.

10-010, filed April 16, 2010, resolved May 14.

Full-time employee grieved after he was denied a special-event shift that went to a part-time employee with less seniority.

↑Resolution: Employer paid the grievant for the shift.

10-012, 10-013 and 10-015, filed various dates in May.

Employees grieved after they were not paid the $300 quarterly bonus for perfect attendance.

Resolution: Unresolved.

10-016, filed May 19.

A shop steward grieves as a measure of contract enforcement, alleging that AMR has filled a vacant shift improperly by not posting it for bid.

Resolution: Unresolved.

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Victory on Absenteeism Grievance Results in Review of Warnings

April 5, 2010 Memorandum from Liz Brown

The Union has resolved a grievance challenging the way American Medical Response has applied the absenteeism policy. If you received a warning, maybe you didn’t deserve it.

Since February, more than 35 EMTs had received verbal warnings under the new attendance policy in the contract, with a handful of people progressing to written warnings. Teamsters 763 filed a grievance March 19 because members questioned whether the company was implementing the policy incorrectly by counting each consecutive day of illness without sick leave as a separate absence. AMR gave employees three penalty points per day of absence.

In response, AMR says it did apply the language incorrectly. Consecutive days of illness should be counted as only one absence. In the case of the employee who filed the grievance, he was sick two days in a row without sick leave. AMR gave him six penalty points, but he should have received only three. Four points triggers formal discipline. His warning now will be rescinded.

In the response letter, AMR says it “will review the attendance of those that may have had discipline letters issued because absences without sick leave were counted as individual days and remove those letters when necessary.” If you received a warning, please follow up with your supervisor. And remember, absences covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act cannot count against employees under any absenteeism policy.

Attendance Bonuses: With the end of the first quarter, people with perfect attendance will begin receiving the $300 bonus. The contract defines perfect attendance as “present without tardiness for all scheduled and assigned shifts.”

Thank you for being members of Teamsters 763!

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AMR - Final Resolution on Pay Grievance

March 17, 2010

American Medical Response agreed to pay wage increases to employees who should have or will move up a step on the wage scale between January and the end of June, 2010. The resolution was agreed to in a Step 2 grievance meeting held Thursday, March 11 at AMR’s Tukwila office.

Employees whose anniversary dates have already passed will receive retro pay to the date in question, said Rod Chandler, General Manager for AMR Seattle. If you want to check whether you are on the list of people who will receive an increase, please call Liz Brown, Business Agent with Teamsters Local 763, at (206) 441-0763.

Chandler said retro raises for employees will be processed immediately. The raises affect employees who will move to a new range step on the pay scale on their employment anniversary date. Each range on the wage scale lasts two years, so employees move to a new step every other year.

Representing the Union in the grievance meeting were Shop Stewards Dave Bennett, Jon Brennan, Duane Tews and Brown. Representing AMR in the meeting were Chandler, Operations Manager Kaylee Garrett, Administrative Supervisor Marc Mauer and Tanya Salvino, Manager of Human Resources.

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AMR Says It Will Delay Paying Range Wage Increases

March 1, 2010

American Medical Response has decided to delay paying step increases to dozens of employees with recent employment anniversary dates.

The company has decided to delay payment because the Union moved a grievance over the dispute to Step 2 of the process. A meeting between shop stewards of Teamsters 763 and AMR representatives is scheduled for Monday, March 8.

The Union requested to move the grievance to Step 2 because of confusion over whether everyone has received the increases they should have.

"It makes sense to sit down and meet over this issues, becuase there is comfusion over how AMR is interpreting the wage language in the new contract," said Liz Brown, business agent for Teamsters 763. "We want to make sure that employees get the increases they're supposed to receive."

On Feb. 9, Local 763 filed a grievance on behalf of all affected employees in the bargaining unit, primarly those employees who did not receive wage increases when entering a higher pay range on the anniversary date of their employment with AMR. On Monday, Feb. 15, AMR responded by letter and said it would pay the wage increases.

If you have a queston, please contact Business Agent Liz Brown at Teamsters Local 763 at 206-441-0763 or at liz.brown@teamsters763.org.

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AMR Says It Will Pay Range Wage Increases

February 18, 2010

Earlier this month, EMTs at American Medical Response began reporting they weren’t receiving pay increases on the anniversary dates of their employment, as specified in the labor contract with Teamsters Local 763. On February 9, Local 763 filed a grievance on behalf of all affected employees in the bargaining unit. We then sent an information request to AMR to determine how many people did not receive the appropriate pay increases. On Monday, February 15, AMR responded by letter and said it will pay the wage increases.

The raises affect employees who advanced or will advance to a new range on the pay scale as of their anniversary dates. AMR says it will pay retro increases immediately to employees whose anniversary dates fell between January 2 and February 16.

If you have a question, please contact Business Agent Liz Brown at Teamsters Local 763 at 206-441-0763 or at liz.brown@teamsters763.org

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