Controversy over this tentative agreement arose from the Company's unwillingness to increase the number of ETD's and the resulting reduction of distribution employees. Management stated that the number of workers in the ETR classification will not be increased after the ETD's are pulled off from the customer services work group. ETD's will only pull details and shifts that were assigned to Field Mechanics prior to reclass. If the number of shifts and detail assignments are not reduced, ETR's would have to pull shifts more often. Since November last year, the Union has proposed that no field worker should have to pull a shift rotation more than once every eight weeks.
Management has yet to respond to our proposal.
ETD and ETR classifications will be on separate vacation lists. Former Field Mechanics who are now ET's and do not secure ETD positions will be trained in customer services however, the Company's training schedule is still being developed. The Union presented an extensive training proposal in March and the Company has yet to respond. During the last three years, the Company's training schedule has not been reliable or consistent. Local 132 will be mailing a ballot along with a copy of the tentative agreement, questions and answers, the Company's number of ETD openings by district and a return addressed envelope to all affected workers this week.