Dear Sisters and Brothers:
Recently, McGee informed our Union that they intended to change their attendance policy.
We need to be clear: This is McGee’s policy. Every word, every point, every level of discipline is owned by them, including the enforcement, or lack thereof. Attendance is not part of our contract, which means our Union has no authority over any aspect of the policy.
McGee has repeatedly shown that it cannot consistently follow or apply its own attendance policy fairly. Because of this, our Union has been demanding a system that is clear, consistent, and humane. We believe McGee’s attendance policy needs to recognize that people get sick, emergencies happen, and sometimes absences are simply unavoidable.
While McGee continues to make these choices, our Union continues to fight back. Through the grievance process, we have been successful in bringing discharged members back to work, reducing suspensions to final warnings, and securing back pay for those who were suspended.
Bottom line: McGee owns this policy and its consequences. By their own definition, this is a “no-fault” attendance policy, one that does not consider the reason for an absence and instead imposes discipline automatically. That means illness, emergencies, and circumstances outside your control are treated no differently than misconduct. Our Union will continue to defend our members against this kind of one-size-fits-all punishment and push for a policy that reflects reality, not automatic discipline.
Sincerely and fraternally,
| John M. Coveny, Jr. President/Directing General Chair | Jason McAdoo General Chair | Justin Bates General Chair |