My name is Jerome Pittman; I am running for re-election as the Motor Vehicle National Business Agent for the Western Region. When initially approached to run, I felt it important to answer two questions: "Has my experience and insight prepared me for the challenge, and can I be of service”? I proudly answered “yes” to both questions.
After serving my first three-year term, I have proven that I made the right decision.
Since being elected to my first term I have fought as promised to advance Motor Vehicle craft interests, while at the same time using my knowledge and experience to provide the professional oversight and dedication needed to preserve the full range of benefits that we have historically enjoyed.
I have done this by forging a working relationship with my counterparts at the District level, based upon respect for my knowledge of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and Labor Relations understanding that if any case makes it to arbitration, that they will have the fight of their lives when we get there.
At this level I have found that there is a big difference in how I go about representing the MVS Craft. While Serving as a local MVS Director, Assistant MVS Director, and a Shop Steward , I have been on the front lines mixing it up with management officials from Supervisors to Labor Relations Specialists and Plant managers for many years with great success, and was known as a fighter, who gets the job done.
As a National Business Agent, I deal with higher level Managers, and I represent the entire Western Region, and the Pacific Area. Instead of filing grievances, I now take the case files from Step 3 to arbitration.
When I took on this job, there was a tremendous backlog of step 3, and direct appeal grievances in the Pacific Area, approximately 1500 or more. Over 900 of those were filed to prevent the conversion of California Drivers to private highway contractors.
I was appointed by our National MVS Directors to be on the California Conversion Team to fight this contracting out. As a member of this team we worked with the Directors, and the lawyers, in coming up with a plan to defeat this attack on our jobs,and I was there in court when the case was heard.
As you know we were successful in preventing the conversion of all California drivers to HCR, and it gave me great pleasure to sign my name on the dotted line and settle those 900 California conversion grievances.
The remaining grievances and the new grievances that come in daily also needed to be met on. At the time management had been refusing to meet at step 3 for months at a time. I forced the issue, and was able to establish regular meetings for step 3 and direct appeal cases. As a result, the entire backlog has been eliminated, and grievances are being heard on a regular schedule.
I have taken many cases to arbitration, and have maintained a excellent winning record. I have resolved hundreds of cases through pre arbitration meetings, that would otherwise still be waiting to be called for arbitration. I have returned numerous employees to work after being removed.
I have settled Millions of dollars in sub-contracting grievances, with the latest being a $3,650,000 arbitration award in San Francisco.
