SEIU503 Native | Jackson County Airport Staff Unite and Win Truthful Compensation!

Published: May 28, 2021

In January 2021, a Jackson County airport member called his union organizer because they believed management was not paying them the right amount for their vacation work. SEIU 503 members and organizers in Jackson County took immediate action to resolve the issue.

The problem was pretty simple; Members did not receive Holiday Worked Pay if they worked on holidays that fell on weekends. The reason for this was more difficult to understand, but ultimately it was the misinterpretation of the contract language by management. The contract stipulates that employees who work both the vacation itself and the observed vacation will receive vacation pay on the actual vacation. However, if they work one or the other, they get paid for the vacation they worked. However, management informed workers that they could only receive the vacation pay if they worked on the observed holiday.

The union leader’s investigation into the matter prompted the county to conduct a full payroll run and upon that audit found that several members were indeed underpaid. After months of continued legal discussion, the county finally took responsibility for their mistakes. The union leadership worked with the SEIU Member Resource Center and the county human resources department to resolve the issue that resulted in workers affected by the county’s language interpretation being given reimbursement.

In the end, 28 people were classified as underpaid by the county and are now receiving the compensation they had previously been denied. Our union makes a difference! Our management team continues to work on solving contractual issues to ensure our members are protected and their rights are respected.