ABM Parking Member Awarded Reinstatement, Two Years of Back Pay
Two years after his wrongful termination by ABM Parking, Teamsters Local 727 member Samuel Mensah has been awarded reinstatement with full back pay and benefits.
Mensah began working as a Teamster valet in 1994 and started at Lincoln Park 2550 in 2012 when ABM Parking took over the residential high-rise’s valet parking services.
The company unjustly suspended and then fired the 20-year Teamster for allegedly failing to report damage on May 22, 2014. The union filed a grievance and took Mensah’s case to arbitration, arguing that not only did the company fail to follow progressive discipline, it also did not provide any evidence of wrongdoing.
The arbitrator agreed with the union’s argument, ruling in Mensah’s favor on May 15, 2016, and ordering ABM Parking to immediately reinstate Mensah and make him whole with two years’ worth of back pay and benefits.
“I’m not the type of employee who is always calling the union. But when I had a problem, I called and that’s when I found out how powerful the union is and how far they can go for their members,” Mensah said.
However, the union is not yet done fighting for Mensah. Local 727 has filed a lawsuit against the company for refusing to comply with the arbitrator’s final and binding decision.
“It has been an incredibly long road, and we still have work to do,” said John Coli Jr., President of Local 727. “It is infuriating to see one of our dedicated, hardworking members treated so unfairly. We believe in Sam and he believes in his union, and together, we will win this fight, once and for all.”
Teamsters Local 727 represents more than 3,500 parking industry members throughout the Greater Chicago area.
Nothing in this article should be read as the union’s waiver of any legal argument, position or additional grievance. The union does not forfeit its right to make any and all supplemental arguments.
Category: PARKING, Union News
