Local 2366 and Chief Ortiz recently reached an agreement regarding a pending arbitration over prior-Chief Karisch’s original implementation of the Physical Fitness Program in Del Rio Sector. The union filed a grievance when the program was implemented because Chief Karisch modified the national directive by not allowing employees to work out in off-site facilities and restricting agents to only working out in 60- or 90-minute increments.
The new agreement reached with Chief Ortiz has fixed these issues, as employees will now be permitted to work out in off-site facilities that are within five miles of their respective duty locations and they will be permitted to work out for 30 to 90 minutes at a time (there are certain rules for off-site workouts, so review the SOP when it is released). Of course, employees will still need to get permission to work out and the decision to allow a workout to take place remains “contingent upon operational demands” because ultimately, the mission comes first.
We are told Del Rio Sector will be formally announcing the updated SOP any day now, so keep an eye on your work email for more details. Local 2366 thanks Chief Ortiz and DRT management for being willing to take a second look at the program and take a commonsense approach to work with the union to fix the problem. Since this will be new for everyone, we ask that people try to be flexible — if you have problems, talk to a union steward — and encourage employees to take advantage of the program when possible to work toward and maintain a healthy lifestyle.