The unspoken rule in my department (feeders) was as long as you showed a 1 minute meal you would be left alone. For whatever reason they are forcing us to take our full lunch now despite the fact it is killing them in a lot of different ways. I almost never took my full meal, but I never worked through it either. The longer the meal they require me to take the longer it will take me to finish my day is all. I hope this blows over soon.
It's strange that feeder drivers would be skipping their lunch. It is the easiest job in this company. The only feeder driver that would skip their lunch were the mileage runs. Next year, per DOT rules, any job over 8 hours is required to take a 30 minute meal period. If your feeder department has a hard time covering runs because you guys are taking your lunch, then your department has much bigger problems. Or management team MAKES hourly feeder drivers take our meals.
Unless you are mileage driver, not taking your meal is only taking money out of your own pocket. You say you never took your full meal, and in the same breath, you say you never worked through it either. Well, which is it? The less meal you take, the more work you have. To me, that doesn't make sense, because you say you want to get home sooner.
Don't take this personal, because I hold no malice towards you. But why are you here in the first place? Feeders is increasingly becoming saturated with burners from package car. They speed, skip their meal, neglect their pre-trip inspection and do their job just like package car. Except it isn't. A mistake in feeders could possibly cost lives in a way a package car couldn't come close to. And in feeders, you're only one mistake away from losing your job.
It amazes me how many of these new guys (burners) don't see that.
