July 31, 2008

 

Do Not Sign Your Rights Away!

 

SPSE-UPTE would like to warn all of you who have filed a Complaint Resolution Form with LLNS about something we learned at the meeting with legal representatives on Tuesday, July 29^th. We were shown the paperwork that LLNS is sending back if you selected Binding Arbitration as the resolution process.

 

Attached to the cover letter is a several page document titled Arbitration Agreement and the cover letter gives you a deadline to sign and return the form. Do NOT sign and return this form. Instead, reply to Staff Relations and ask for a four week extension to have this reviewed by your legal representative. There is nothing in existing policy setting a deadline by which you need to respond to the request from LLNS to sign the letter so LLNS will have little basis to deny the request for an extension. During the time extension, we hope you will be able to decide if you will pursue this in court or go through with the arbitration process. If you decide to go to court, you will need to withdraw the complaint with LLNS and inform them of your decision to take your case to court.

 

If you have not chosen your method of resolution yet, you might want to say that you wish to use mediation first followed by binding arbitration if no resolution is reached through mediation. It is most likely LLNS will send you a packet of information and a form to sign for mediation as well. But under no circumstances sign any form that waives your right to go to court. You can actually choose all three types of resolution although Independent Party Review is intended mainly for grievances that do not qualify for binding arbitration.

 

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Society of Professionals, Scientists & Engineers
Local 11 University Professional and Technical Employees, CWA Local 9119
P.O. Box 1066, Livermore, CA 94551
(925) 449-4846 voice
(925) 449-4851 fax
Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 8am to Noon
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Visit our web site at http://www.spse.org