Date: August 9, 2012
To: Vice President for Human Resources, Union President for Local 397
From: Jean and Killeen, on behalf of Labor-Management Committee at Joe’s Groceries
Re: Committee Recommendation for Modification of Collective Bargaining Unit Agreement
The Problem
As you are aware, there has been some controversy lately concerning 12 similar grievances filed by bargaining unit members of Local 397 at Joe’s Groceries. The Labor-Management Committee was tasked with evaluating the merits of these grievances, and with innovating a creative solution to the related problems they address.
It is now the committee’s assessment that the main related issues in these 12 grievances appear to be the following: * Current rules state that all employees must smile and make eye contact with customers. * The majority of the grievants feel that this encourages inappropriate behavior on the part of some customers, and that this sometimes leads to unwelcome advances or predatory behavior. * Several female grievants who work as baggers stated that their greatest area of concern is a scenario in which they smile at a customer and make eye contact, the customer interprets this as a romantic or sexual overture, and the customer then behaves inappropriately or threateningly when the female bagger helps carry the customer’s groceries to his/her car.
Proposed Solution
The Shop Stewards from Local 397 have consulted with these 12 aggrieved individuals, and with other members of the bargaining unit. As a result, the Stewards suggested to us that eye contact from employee to customer be made optional, while still keeping in place the mandatory requirement for friendly smiling and greeting. In response to the Stewards’ suggestion, the committee: * Wholeheartedly