Representing nearly 500 county employees the Teamsters Local 79 Union submitted a grievance to Hernando County Board of County Commissioners with a date of alleged violation of March 27, 2020. The grievance is described as follows,
“Work pay in accordance with the CBA. Employees who were told to work were not compensated at time and 1/2 of their regular rate of pay, while others who were told not to work, were required to use accrued leave time rather than be compensated at their regular rate of pay, as provided In the CBA. This is a class action/blanket style grievance.”
The Union seeks the following remedy, “For all affected employees to be made whole regarding lost wages and benefits due.”
Given the current climate with many county residents out of work entirely due to the COVID-19 crisis, Commissioner John Allocco was not receptive to the grievance.
“I am shocked at this grievance from the Local No.79 Teamsters leadership at this time. This grievance demonstrates a complete lack of consideration to the public they serve, most of whom would be grateful for the opportunity to work from home rather than be out of work or barely hanging on at this time. This cannot be the general consensus of the honorable public employees they are supposed to represent,” stated Allocco.
The grievance procedure according to the county-teamsters contract involves a grievance hearing or written response by the county administrator followed by possible arbitration if the matter is not resolved through the grievance hearing step.
The April 14, 2020 Board of County Commissioners meeting begins with a closed session to discuss collective bargaining with Teamsters Local Union 79.
