Road Trip?

Brothers and Sisters,

I hope this article finds you doing well and getting ready for the fall months and preparing for winter. I know some of you are having some days off, and I want to remind you that you need to call in and put your name on the Out of Work List (OWL). We have had a Bay Area contractor looking for hardwood and stretch in carpet guys. If you aren’t on the list, we can’t give you call to go to work. If you are an apprentice per the Northern CA Floor Covering Master Agreement,

“When an Apprentice is not worked by an Employer for three (3) consecutive working days (project or weather delays, Holidays, DDOs, and weekend excluded), the Apprentice has the right to put their name on the Out-of-Work List and seek their own employment with other signatory Employers. When Employment is ended by the Employer, the Employer shall provide the JATC with a separation notice. The notice shall be on documents provided by the JATC.”

If you are an apprentice and, on the OWL, our Organizer Edward Valencia can give you a DAS-142 assignment and keep you working. Working on a DAS-142 does not pay into your H&W, Pension or any other benefits, you are paid your total package wage minus taxes. 

During the September Membership Meeting we spoke about our upcoming contract negotiations and one of the topics that came up was travel language. Below is Article 27 Sections 1&2 from the Sacramento Floor Covering Addendum that reads;

1. TRAVEL TIME:

Employees required to jobsite report more than Sixty (60) miles from the point of dispatch (employee’s home or individual employer’s shop) as determined by the individual Employer, shall receive Wages and Benefits for all time spent traveling beyond sixty (60) miles from the point of dispatch to the jobsite and return. Employees reporting in their private vehicles to a jobsite more than sixty (60) miles from the point of dispatch, shall also receive mileage at the current IRS rate per mile for all miles traveled outside of the sixty (60) miles (Mileage and drive time is to be based on Google Maps). Employees required to jobsite report more than sixty (60) miles from the point of dispatch (employee’s home or individual employer’s shop) as determined by the individual Employer, shall receive Wages and Benefits for all time spent traveling beyond sixty (60) miles from the point of dispatch to the jobsite and return. Employees reporting in their private vehicles to a jobsite more than fifty (50) miles from the point of dispatch, shall also receive mileage at the current IRS rate per mile for all miles traveled outside of the sixty (60) miles (Mileage and drive time is to be based on Google Maps). Mileage will be paid on a per vehicle basis. This system is based on employees reporting to their jobsite at their regular start time and working on the job until their regular quitting time. Travel from jobsite to jobsite in a private vehicle shall be considered as hours worked and mileage will be reimbursed at the current IRS rate per mile. All travel commencing after reporting to the Employers shop to and from the jobsite will be considered as hours worked and use of the employee’s vehicle will be reimbursed at the current IRS rate per mile. At no time shall the employee be allowed to transport the Employer’s material or equipment in their own vehicle.

2. SUBSISTENCE:

(a) When employees are required to live away from their personal place of residence, in order to report for work when and where directed by the Employer, each employee shall receive lodging, or an amount equal to reasonable lodging, in advance, plus subsistence in the amount of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per day, in advance, on a separate check.

(b) Round trip airfare, mileage, or transportation shall be provided by the Employer on all jobs in which subsistence is required.

(c) Employees shall receive Travel Time, from the point of dispatch to the jobsite and return, on all jobs in which subsistence is required.

I was surprised when many of the members were not aware that Section 2-C means that if you are given per diem there I s no free zone of 60 miles, travel starts from the time you leave the shop or your home (whichever you are dispatched from). I was also news to some members that if you drive your own vehicle, you should be getting gas mileage reimbursement. I hope to see you at next month’s meeting so we can discuss more of what you want in your new contract and most importantly what you want as a wage increase.

September Birthday’s

Eduardo Acosta

Joshua Alvarado

Juan Avila

Clarence Backman

Axel Bermejo

Brian Castellanos

Joseph Cavana

Joshua Crites

Rick Finkle

Kerry Fischer

John Goding

Brayan Gomez

Juan Gonzalez

Ryan Guibor

Keith Harman

Jake Harries

Caleb Johnston

Mason Meyers

Heriberto Pena

Juan Pina

Enrique Puga

Frank Pursley

Gary Ramos

Diego Rodriguez

Michael Shaw

Christopher Smith

Edward Valencia

Luis Zavala Guzman