Comments on: Fair Travel Pay (FairTravelPay.com) http://www.antifart.com/2008/06/04/fair-travel-pay.html Farts are bad Thu, 4 Dec 2008 17:47:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Cote http://www.antifart.com/2008/06/04/fair-travel-pay.html#comment-20425 Cote Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:00:49 +0000 http://www.antifart.com/?p=69#comment-20425 I see, so the language that sticks out to me is the "MAY receive". To me this means it's NOT required and optional. <br> I don't want to confuse apples and oranges here, but just to compare wording from P16.11, "per diem SHALL be paid". To me this means it's required and NOT optional. <br> I follow and understand your example and it does make perfect sense to me. I did at one point bring up article P16.08 and my steward shot it down as a requirement and not at all optional for employees. I even suggested grieving it. <br> However, to his credit, I did not suggest to challenge the wording based on "MAY", but based on the fact that if you calculate our true expenses and travel time, it does not calculate (or any where NEAR, see calculator above) as such to the allowances table in the contract. <br> So, if I understand you correctly, YOU report to your headquarters first, then travel on company time and return to your HQ at the start and end of each shift? You then fill out a mileage expense form to cover the mileage for that day? Do you do this for every office you travel too under 50 miles or do you only pick the offices which are convenient for you at the time, meaning, do you switch from time and travel TO Travel Allowance at your leisure? I could see this being problematic for managers and a good reason for resistance from them. Do other technicians do the same in your area? Has this been grieved? If you live far from your HQ this might not be a good option for some. <br> Also, the IRS limit is increased to 58.5 cent/mile. I see, so the language that sticks out to me is the “MAY receive”. To me this means it’s NOT required and optional.

I don’t want to confuse apples and oranges here, but just to compare wording from P16.11, “per diem SHALL be paid”. To me this means it’s required and NOT optional.

I follow and understand your example and it does make perfect sense to me. I did at one point bring up article P16.08 and my steward shot it down as a requirement and not at all optional for employees. I even suggested grieving it.

However, to his credit, I did not suggest to challenge the wording based on “MAY”, but based on the fact that if you calculate our true expenses and travel time, it does not calculate (or any where NEAR, see calculator above) as such to the allowances table in the contract.

So, if I understand you correctly, YOU report to your headquarters first, then travel on company time and return to your HQ at the start and end of each shift? You then fill out a mileage expense form to cover the mileage for that day? Do you do this for every office you travel too under 50 miles or do you only pick the offices which are convenient for you at the time, meaning, do you switch from time and travel TO Travel Allowance at your leisure? I could see this being problematic for managers and a good reason for resistance from them. Do other technicians do the same in your area? Has this been grieved? If you live far from your HQ this might not be a good option for some.

Also, the IRS limit is increased to 58.5 cent/mile.

]]> By: Larry Caruso http://www.antifart.com/2008/06/04/fair-travel-pay.html#comment-20421 Larry Caruso Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:35:27 +0000 http://www.antifart.com/?p=69#comment-20421 Chris, I pasted below a paragraph from what you wrote above. <br> "We are essentially doing the company one big favor by reporting to a different work location on our time and dime at $4/gallon. The company gets a full tour out of us while not having to maintain a 200+ fleet of vehicles. To my knowledge, there is nothing in the contract that allows a technician the option of reporting to their headquarters first. The employee is assigned by management to a new location and is given Travel Allowance, period." <br> Yes, there is something in our contract which gives us the right to report to our headquarters first; it is Article P16.08, which states that employees...may receive a travel allowance in lieu of travel time and expense. Look at your contract; trevel time and expense is the DEFAULT value. Each time the contract renews I look at the money to decide which option to take. Up until recently the travel allowance has been more. When the IRS allowance went to .485 I began considering this option, and at .505 I began using time and travel exclusively. Chris, I pasted below a paragraph from what you wrote above.

“We are essentially doing the company one big favor by reporting to a different work location on our time and dime at $4/gallon. The company gets a full tour out of us while not having to maintain a 200+ fleet of vehicles. To my knowledge, there is nothing in the contract that allows a technician the option of reporting to their headquarters first. The employee is assigned by management to a new location and is given Travel Allowance, period.”

Yes, there is something in our contract which gives us the right to report to our headquarters first; it is Article P16.08, which states that employees…may receive a travel allowance in lieu of travel time and expense. Look at your contract; trevel time and expense is the DEFAULT value. Each time the contract renews I look at the money to decide which option to take. Up until recently the travel allowance has been more. When the IRS allowance went to .485 I began considering this option, and at .505 I began using time and travel exclusively.

]]> By: Larry Caruso http://www.antifart.com/2008/06/04/fair-travel-pay.html#comment-20418 Larry Caruso Wed, 24 Sep 2008 12:44:26 +0000 http://www.antifart.com/?p=69#comment-20418 Chris, Interesting site. Are you a Steward? Are you making any progress with this? We are facing a similar issue with Fairpoint. Looking forward to your reply, Larry Caruso Chief Steward, COEI NH IBEW Local 2320 Chris,
Interesting site. Are you a Steward? Are you making any progress with this?

We are facing a similar issue with Fairpoint.

Looking forward to your reply,

Larry Caruso
Chief Steward, COEI NH
IBEW Local 2320

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