Teamsters Local 700 has won its grievance against the Cook County Sheriff's Office over the Office's attempt to unilaterally eliminate compensatory time banking for members at the Cook County Department of Corrections.

Management moved to cash out members' accrued comp time and end banking going forward, leaving officers with no option but a paycheck for hours worked beyond their shifts. The union filed a grievance arguing the change violated the collective bargaining agreement, which guarantees members the choice between pay and comp time and the right to bank up to 480 hours. The arbitrator has now ruled in the union's favor, and the right to bank comp time remains in force.

"The Sheriff's Office sat across the table from us, agreed to these terms, and then tried to rewrite them without us," said Ramon Williams, President of Teamsters Local 700. "That is not how a contract works. Our members earned every one of those hours by working them, often under mandatory overtime in an understaffed jail. This ruling makes clear that management does not get to unilaterally change the terms of our contract. Local 700 will challenge every attempt to do so – and we will win."

"For a lot of our members, comp time isn’t just a minor benefit – it’s crucial," said Ed Kern, Local 700 business agent. "Management tried to sell this as a payout. It was a one-time check in exchange for a permanent loss, and our members saw through it. They stood together, they kept their heads, and they won. We will fight management every time they try to pull something like this."

Local 700 will provide more information to members in the weeks ahead to ensure comp time continues to be administered appropriately per the collective bargaining agreement.