Last Chance Agreements Are Being Abused by CTA Mismanagement

A few months ago, 27 coworkers were charged with gross misconduct and termination for habitually leaving work early. Such incidents have occurred throughout CTA history in all departments, bus and rail. 

Instead of termination, the CTA mismanagement offered them a "Last Chance Agreement" to keep their jobs:

1. Fifteen days unpaid suspension.

2. Six month probation.

3. No chance to grieve the charges.

Theft or "Dipping Off" is a no-no in any workplace. I don't do it and would never do it. I encourage coworkers not to do it. When someone is caught, it is natural to presume guilt and expect punishment.  

However, as a union representative who actually cares about the humans who give most of their waking hours to their jobs, I resist judging coworkers for committing sins. 

This includes searching for work Rules, Laws and contractural contradictions in applying punishment—as well as looking deeper for underlying causes. Usually, it is related to the barbaric working conditions at the CTA. This includes the Three F's: Fear, Favoritism and Flattery.

The CTA mismanagement was aware of the practice for many years. I also found that the CTA—and many of my fellow union officials—really have no desire address the root cause of absenteeism (except through fear). They basically would rather fire and dole out Last-Chance Agreements than bargain for Paid Leave.

Regardless of their motivations, the CTA management is supposed to punish us for violations using progressive punishment (so-called "discipline"). They call it Corrective Action Guidelines (CAG). This practice of jumping from no marks on one's record to termination has no Just Cause. The CTA blatantly boasts about it as "Accelerated Discipline." 

This is definitely not appropriate for a union bargained for job. Last-Chance Agreements are to be used AFTER each step in the CAG have been exhausted.

The "company union" business unionists—such as our union presidents—love to preach that the CTA mismanagement can do whatever they want to us. We cannot tell them what to do. We cannot even protest off-the-clock against their evil. They also love to say that we have a no-strike clause in the Contract (a lie).

They follow very narrow interpretations of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and laws when it comes to helping us fight like a real union. Yet they follow a very broad interpretation of the CBA and laws when it comes to justifying CTA mismanagement and human rights abuses.

At the root of the chronic employee absenteeism at the CTA, and the Rosemont Time Clock Sting, is the filthy secret that CTA workers are mercilessly punished and deprived of the dignity of Paid Leave in their Collective Bargaining Agreement. 

 As an ATU Local 308 union representative, I witness a pattern of punishment and how the CTA management uses this vulnerability to their advantage.

 In fact, even when they are not paid for personal time off—to handle sickness, personal mandatory obligations or unforeseen circumstances—CTA workers are still punished with “Absenteeism” markups on their work records.

 CTA management has manipulated many workers through quid pro quo “favors” and continuously put them in harm’s way. I propose that the Rosemont Time Clock sting would never have occurred if we had the minimum safety thresholds set by Chicago and Illinois Paid Leave Rights.

Workers would be able to take leave from work at any time for any needs—with pay and without punishment. We as a union must organize militant mass action and force our greedy employer to respect the workers, human rights and the laws that protect us. 

Changing the CBA to address this issue is not the domain of the Illinois Labor Relations Board (ILRB). However, stopping the CTA from using the LCA to make it impossible for workers to utilize Article 16 in the CBA to document injustices is the domain of the ILRB.
Abolishing the LCA is not what I am demanding. It is “accelerated discipline” that must be abolished. 

What is your opinion? Why do we need accelerated punishment (“discipline”)? What purpose does it serve?