Author Archives: giffordk@TCUnion.org

Handling Grievances

These articles contain an in-depth analysis of one of the many grievance issues that face TCU Local and District Chairpersons.  They are separated into two major categories that cover nearly all local representation issues: 1) interpretation and enforcement of work rules, and 2) discipline. Rules Interpretation and Enforcement • Grievance Handling — The Importance of the Three

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A Brief History

On November 14, 1934, 29 men–supervisors at the Chicago & North Western Railway–met at Harmony Hall in Chicago. There they founded what would become the American Railway Supervisors Association (later adding the word “Airway”). One of the founders, John Nuter, recalled that in 1934, the supervisors “worked not less than 10-12 hours a day. We

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History of the Carmen

The Brotherhood Railway Carmen of America was born on September 9, 1890, in convention at Topeka, Kansas. At that time, repairers made 10 or 15 cents an hour. There was no compensation for injury and there were no pensions and no laws protecting worker rights. The work week was usually seven days, 12 hours a

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RCPL Is Now MNPL

RCPL Is Now MNPL With TCU’s affiliation with the Machinists, our political action committee, the Responsible Citizens’ Political League, has been merged into the IAM’s Machinists Non-Partisan Political League–MNPL. The purpose of the MNPL is the same as RCPL.  Through it the voluntary contributions of our members are channeled to support political candidates who will

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About the Legislative Department

            The Legislative Department As National Legislative Director, International Vice President Robert Davis oversees TCU’s legislative and political action programs. The Legislative Department’s challenge is to protect the gains our members have made over the years and to work for legislation to further improve conditions in the workplace and in

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