Mismanagement Is Pitting Members Against Each Other on Overtime

Some of our brave coworkers are filing grievances against CTA mismanagement for skipping over Customer Assistants (Full-Time and Part-Time) before offering work to Flagmen for "Information Specialist." 

Instead of going with the Contract that accommodates Full-Time Permanent "Combined Rail Operators" who are could easily be made into qualified Flagmen and Customer Assistants (Sole Agreement No. 26), who are guaranteed hours and equal picking rights, they pit Part-Time Flagmen (FTTF)—literally starving for hours to pay bills—against the Part-Time and Full-Time Customer Assistants who also need hours and overtime.

CTA mismanagement refuses to admit failure. With the help of compromised ATU elected leaders, they created multiple tiers of poverty time jobs. These jobs—FTT and PTT—keep workers in poverty, provide no incentives and hurt our union. 

I encourage all of us to demand that our union presidents bargain for a Contractually-binding updated Sole Agreement No. 26 (and/or other title or section like Article 14.2) Combined Rail Operator position that brings all new hires in as Full-Time Permanent, Customer Assistants. From there, they move up to higher paying opportunities through qualification as Flagman, Motorman, Conductor, Switchman and Towerman. 

I call this CRO2 (Combined Rail Operator version 2) and have written a draft for it in the Chicago Transit Justice Coalition's "Worker's Contract" and mentioned it a few years ago on my blog. Here's a screenshot of it (my edits in red with strikethrough).  

Meanwhile, you Customer Assistants need to keep filing grievances when you are skipped.  Here's an example: 

Let's say you have witnessed Flagmen assigned to stations when you were not working on four occasions. You were never called for overtime opportunities. Write something like this:

On [LIST THE DATES], Flagmen were working [LIST THE STATIONS] around [LIST THE TIMES]. I signed the Work Book (and/or Double Book) and was never offered overtime opportunities. The CTA is in violation of CBA Article 7.1(b)(2), Sole Agreement No. 19, Sole Agreement No. 39 and should stop this practice. I wish to be compensated for [TOTAL HOURS] hours. 

The Contract articles mentioned are compiled here: