In a recent issue of ATU 569’s newsletter, Local in Motion, we talked about how photo red light and speeding tickets are the leading causes of discipline in our jurisdiction. So, it’s important to keep abreast of changes to our employers’ policies regarding those infractions.
On August 5th, Director of Operations for ETS, Phil Herritt, issued a Notice clarifying ETS’ expectations and aligning ETS’ policy with that of the rest of the City. So…this message is pertinent to ETS Operators. It may be interesting to other members, but changes to current practice only affect ETS Operators.
The current practice regarding photo red light or speeding tickets is that when a ticket gets issued to the City, the City pays it and asks the Operator to reimburse them for the cost. Whether you accept responsibility for the infraction and pay the ticket may influence the level of discipline issued.
Changes to this practice:
- Your Supervisor will give you the ticket and expect you to deal with it.
- If you want to plead not guilty, you have to make your case to the Superintendent of Safety.
As the City is the named respondent on the ticket, only the City may plead not guilty. The Superintendent of Safety will make that decision.
- If you want to discuss it with a Justice of the Peace to request to have the fine reduced, you can do that.
Issuance of discipline arising from photo red light & speeding is not changed by this clarification & realignment. It is affected by several things like progressive discipline, the state of your employee file, your willingness to accept responsibility & pay the ticket, etc.
So, there is no blanket “simple answer” to the question “What should I do?” If you’re not sure what to do, give us a call at the Union office – 780-426-6136. We can talk it over and get the details and give you our best advice.