Extra Trips in the Contract

CTA Train Operators are under extreme stress for their entire shifts (Bus too). So they are easily exploited when it comes to wage theft and abuse by CTA mismanagement. 

It is very important that Train Operators know their Contractual rights when it comes to extra trips, scrubs, pieces of work and the Extra Board. The best way to understand is in the Contract. Specifically Article 7.2(k) and Sole Agreement No. 39.

When a manager gives you directives that keep you out longer than your assigned run, know for yourself if it is allowed. If not, calmly inform them and do a report to a trusted union representative. Also, in some cases, you may be eligible for more pay. That would be resolved through a grievance. 

What about the Show-Up? 

A show-up (showup) is bearable when you can go home at your TW (Through Work) time. It's really nice if you get that three hour guarantee. But it sucks if you end up catching a run right before your TW time.

Go to Sole Agreement No. 16: It provides lots of details about how Show-ups should be handled (especially useful information for Clerks). 

For example, what if someone calls off their Run and there are more than two Show-up workers on standby? Which of the two workers will catch the Run?

One worker is less than hour away from their TW (Through Work) time. The other has five hours until TW. According to Part III, Paragraph 17, that Run must be assigned to the worker whose hours cover that run. Also, Part III, Paragraph 6, Show-ups are supposed to be assigned their Runs with assumed TW times of four hours after reporting. If there are two workers with the same TW, the one with higher seniority gets the better "piece of work" (Part III, Paragraph 18). The only thing left to "managerial discretion" are reporting times (Part III, Paragraph 7). 

I recommend that you read the entire Sole Agreements (found in the Contract). There are always little details that are easy to miss (put corrections you find in the comments section below). I have included these very important Contract documents below. If there is anything I should add, post it in the comments.