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job rep conference
Forty members participated in WPEA's 2007
Annual Job Rep Conference held on Saturday,
March 17 at Snoqualmie Pass. This was a jam-packed day of
learning, networking, sharing and role-playing which accomplished the
goal of sending each member back to their workplace feeling
renewed and more confident in their Job Rep role.
The day began with an exercise in determining
whether given situations were a
Grievance or Gripe. This led to much discussion and
debate on the many different ways the contract language can
be interpreted. Our Job Reps were very sharp and had great
reasons for their answers based on the Collective Bargaining
Agreements (CBA) and the laws.
WPEA Executive Director, Leslie Liddle,
then provided an overview of the
Weingarten Rule. She talked about the historical
cases that brought it about, as well as how this rule
applies to WPEA members, explaining that in addition to
having representation during an investigatory interview,
WPEA CBAs provide for “expanded” representation.
WPEA's attorney, Larry Schwerin from
Schwerin, Campbell, Barnard & Iglitzin, spoke on determining
a grievance based on the laws. He shared that though some
grievances may be hard to prove (such as sexual harassment),
the Job Rep should still file and pursue the grievance.
Following lunch, the group reviewed
Grievance Processing for Job Reps and were reminded
of the
Responsibilities of the Grievant throughout the
process. Liddle finished the discussion with a reminder of
the importance of
Good Interviewing Skills and why good note taking is
crucial.
Finally, it was time for the Job Reps to
take their knowledge and put it to practice by doing some
role-playing! The members were divided into five groups
and given a packet that held a scenario and gave each member
a role to play, i.e., the Grievant, the Job Rep, the
Supervisor, Witnesses to interview, and each group had a
WPEA Staff Rep to work with. "The members really
got into their roles and had a great time working through
the issues," said Liddle. Many were able to "resolve" the
issue before it needed to go to arbitration, but some with
more complicated scenarios discovered that they just didn't
have enough information or the grievant was not cooperating
fully...just like what often happens in real life!
The day ended with an overview of
What it
Takes to Be a Good Job Representative and a Q&A
session.
"This was the best thing to come out of the
WPEA HQ," said Clark College member and District 1
Vice President, Eugene Carroll.
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