Withholding emergency messages from employees

wilberforce15

Well-Known Member
Let's just say this is completely hypothetical........:)

Say you're an employee working the midnight shift and you have three kids. No cell phones allowed in the hub. Emergency calls go to the midnight office.

Let's say your wife calls the hub at 1AM to say all of your kids are throwing up and she's going to the emergency room and needs your help with them.

Then let's say other hourlies overhear a radio conversation between the sort manager and a part-time sup where they agree not to pass the message to you until 2AM or "until the unload looks a little better."

Thankfully, the hourlies who overheard that conversation come and tell you about it, and you are able to go help your wife and kids.

Is there anything that can be done contractually or legally?
 

scooby0048

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Hypothetically of course, those guys should shown a dark side of the building and since we're still being hypothetical, not found until after 2am themselves.

In all seriousness though, I would imagine that there is record of the call coming in to the hub and at least going out on the callers cell phone. If the hourlies were willing to sign affidavits, there might be grounds to file a hostile workplace claim with the Dept. Of Labor or state labor board. Not saying it would go anywhere but there is always an option for everything.
 

710 steward

Well-Known Member
If you can prove the call was made then my next move is to call HR. Let them know about what happened then tell them you will be seeking an attorney. God forbid something even worse happened to your family. If you can prove it someone is in big trouble and that person isn't you.
 
Besides a punch to the hypothetical balls, your next action would be to call corporate HR and issue a complaint especially bringing up the topic of integrity. Let the shiz roll downhill.

I've seen a manager busted back down to sup for something like that.
 

just chillin'

Rest in peace wooba
i would also get the steward and business agent involved and try to get the "no cell phone" rule overturned. if ups claims it's a security issue and there worried about cell phone theft, they can implement the system they use in my local. we have to register our phones with security and they take down the serial number and place a numbered hologram tamper proof type of ups sticker on your phone. your phone needs to have that sticker on it to get in or out of the guard booth. if that doesn't work, maybe you can get them to at least let the shop steward carry a phone that everyone has the number to. to be honest, in the world we now live in post 911 i don't think anyone anywhere at anytime should be cut off from instant communication with family
 

Ouch

Well-Known Member
You could file an employee management relations grievance. I always use 37 and 66 together. I would include integrity along with my wording in the grievance. Point is if it were their kids they would want to know and what's good for them ought to be good for us.
 

PiedmontSteward

RTW-4-Less
Grieve it under Art 37, Sec. 1 as Ouch suggested to at least put the matter "on the record" as far as the union is concerned. There's a deadline of 1 week for this.

Also, file a simultaneous complaint with HR.

The "no cell phone" policy is probably going to start spreading hub-by-hub over the next year or so and stories like this are going to become more common. UPS constantly complains about hourlies (especially PT'ers) goofing off on their cell phones instead of working and IBT isn't exactly sympathetic. Instead of "banning" phones in the hubs, the company should simply follow progressive discipline for "Failure to Follow" for surfing Facebook while at work if someone is playing on their iPhone instead of doing their job.
 
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