The in-Flight Food Services Company provides prepared meals for several airlines at a major airport in Southeast. food handlers cook and package meals to be reheated in aero plane galleys for service to passengers while in flight. Most of the 535 food handlers belong to the Independent Food Handlers Union, which has represented these employees for over five years.
Each year the industrial relations department noticed that the number of grievances filed by members of the union had increased about 15 percent. The time spent by union representatives, employees and supervisors as a result of those grievances was affecting productivity in the company’s cafeteria. The general manager was concerned that the company’s costs and the low productivity could lead to a loss of key contracts with major airlines.
The IR department studied all the grievances during the past year and provided the following analysis:
Total grievance filed 803
Number settled at:
First-level supervision 104
Second- level supervision 483
General Manager level 205
Arbitration 11
Although some grievances involved more than one issue, most of them were single-issue matters. When IR department classified the grievances, the following results were reported:
Tardiness or absence control 349
Overtime disputes 265
Other discipline or discharge 77
Incorrect job schedules 75
Multi- issue disputes 37
Questions:
1. How would approach the local union for help?
2. Assuming the IR director asked you to design a training program to reduce the high numbers of grievances, who do you think should attend the training sessions?
3. What topics would you cover in the training?