How does our contract become our contract? For some FSU members, this question brings to mind the old adage about laws and sausage: best not to know how either is made. And while the details of the process may be of interest only to the select few members who serve on the bargaining team, there are 3 basic elements that all members should be aware of: bargaining, ratification, and legislative approval of the contract.
Interview with Art MacEwan, member, MTA Government Relations Committee, conducted by newsletter editor Jennifer C. Berkshire
Spring 15
You’re on the MTA’s Government Relations Committee, which is emphasizing a new, more grassroots-driven approach to the union’s legislative work. Fill us in on the background.
It is an honor to be elected FSU President. I am currently serving on the bargaining team and have done so since 2007. I have been on the Executive Committee since 2008. I also served on the parking negotiations team over the past two years, and took over the FSU Presidency when Catherine Lynde was on sabbatical during the fall of 2012.
The word ‘grievance’ can conjure up an unpleasant association with intractable conflict between an employee and his/her employer. While there are certainly grievances that exemplify this dynamic there are many more that are resolved informally without conflict.
