Wrong, a past practice is something that has been condoned but is not in the CBA. If a CBA has language stating that you must be relieved before going home or must notify a member of management before going you go home, it is a terminable offense. A past practice cannot supersede contract language.
I was wrong, in that a past practice is actually considered part of the contract, and the union and management must negotiate to change it. So progressive discipline is out, let alone termination. If the past practice conflicts with what is written in the contract it is more difficult to prove, but the final decision belongs to an arbitrator.
In further researching "job abandonment", the term generally refers to no-call no-show situations, not simply clocking out before you get management approval. I will look for it, but if anyone can point me in the direction of the article that states that clocking out without management approval is a terminable offense, I would appreciate it.
Granted that drivers are a different work group, but most drivers I know don't get approval before clocking out. Preload sups want preloaders clocking out as soon as possible, so it's easy to understand why someone would think it's ok to clock out as soon as their assigned work is complete, and it would be up to the sup to make sure you know that you need to stick around longer.
Just because management throws around technical jargon doesn't mean it applies to your situation. Don't let them guilt you into actually believing you've done something wrong just because they say so.
