Reporting To Work Early? 2/8/05

We’ve all done it. After all, doesn’t it just make us look better to be early and well prepared? Don’t care if you don’t get paid for that time? Doing a good job for the customer will earn you a proper “Thank You” and if you’re lucky, even a gratuity!

How would you feel about being fired for working off the clock?

Some of you are new and unaware of the history involving uncompensated time. In the mid 90’s, a lawsuit was brought against this company for failing to pay overtime. This suit not only pursued overtime; It illustrated the company’s propensity to allow, if not encourage, driver’s to come in on their own time to prepare information, maps, and materials necessary to perform their job.

The company statement resulting from the lawsuit settlement read to the effect of:

While we do not admit/accept guilt, we agree to restitution of back wages covering uncompensated time, and to establish methods to strictly adhere to State Law from this point forward.

The ensuing collective agreement covered for the first time, overtime. The Company also issued a new policy forbidding any work for Company benefit prior to scheduled report times. This included, but was not limited to, pre-tripping your coach, mapping your route, studying your itinerary, leaving the yard early to beat traffic or buy a latte’. Failure to adhere to this policy is punishable according to the disciplinary schedule outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

The Union is well aware a proper pre-trip cannot be accomplished in fifteen minutes, much less the study of maps, research material, and the myriad of events necessary to PROFESSIONALLY complete a run. The Union has been unsuccessful in negotiating a thirty-minute allocation for pre-trips because the company does not wish to pay another fifteen minutes for us to “drink coffee, socialize, and walk out the door five minutes late, only to leave without doing a pre-trip”. (Their words at the bargaining table)

Why should they, if many of us do the work for free? After all, if the company is reported for allowing it, they will claim lack of knowledge and discipline you for failing to follow company policy. That should prevent the company from incurring any fines from the State.

It is important to note; in no space accessible to drivers, will you find this policy posted as of today. However, the lawsuit resulted in such heavy fines; I suspect this posting will result in a copy of the policy finding it’s way into new hire pamphlets. I further suspect it will be posted prominently very soon.

BD