Upstate doesn't understand the predatory nature of FedEx. If FedEx can screw you out of an hour or two they will do it...every time. Unlike us, he has a union contract that spells out what happens when there are adverse weather conditions. If the company doesn't hold up their end of the bargain, he goes to his steward and it gets figured out.
Weather lines and recorders are generally illegal because they are essentially making the employee on-call. When your manager tells you Tuesday that bad weather is expected Wednesday and that you should "call the line", they have just made you on-call. You don't know when you start until they tell you.
Let's say you call the line at 0600 and it says come-in at 11:00. Your normal start time is 0630, so you've just lost 4.5 hours of pay. Plus, you've just modified your life to fit the needs of FedEx. They expect your compliance because that is the norm for the company culture. They bark orders, and you follow...without question.
Sorry, Fred, but my time is valuable, and when you put my life on hold so you can save yourself some payroll, I expect to be compensated for that time. I could be doing something
I want to do, instead of waiting for some idiot manager to decide for me that my personal time will be spent waiting on FedEx.
Just like the excuses we give to customers, inclement weather is an "Act of God", so we shouldn't be expected to guarantee Mr. Smith any level of performance other than that mutually agreed upon already...our scheduled
normal start time.
My station has a weather line, and many of us refuse to use it. As I said, none of us or anyone else in any other station I have ever heard of, has not been paid when they show-up for work per the original schedule. If the CTV/plane is late, I go into Code 43 and tell my manager I'm available to work as directed.
It's that simple.