$h!t.......I may have started a fecal storm at work

[Partisan1983]

We had a meeting at work today about vacation pay, paid personnel days, benefits, hourly pay, raises....etc. etc. etc.


Anyways, they did away with a two tier pay rate a little over 2 years ago. There where quite a few guys who have only gotten raises 2 or 3 times since then (you are eligible for a raise every 90 days after an employee review).


After everybody has said there status and whatnot, our HR rep said you are eligible for back-pay (retroactive). After answering all the questions he could, he the asked if there were any other concerns about your pay rate...


I don't know why, but I spoke up (I hate talking in front of big groups) and said, I haven't gotten my cross training pay yet.

He said OK, how long has it been?

I don't know...about 5 or 6 years now.

His face went white....

(Cross training pay is .50 cents an hour, and it is only for skilled trades)


Many guys started laughing while saying holy shit...



All of a sudden I'm everyone's hero and shit.


But my biggest concern is that I love my foreman and can tolerate my plant manager, and they are not at all responsible for this...but I feel if I push it, corporate will want some kind of scape goat (like they always do) and punish them.


And then on the other hand, what if corporate decides to just shut us down, and move the work to some 3rd world shit hole, once they learn of this debacle?


FML.....I really don't need this shit right now. I've got enough stress outside of work as it is.

[nfa1934]

From my calculations, they owe you $5760 based on a 40 hour workweek for 6 years (I didn't figure in any overtime, since I don't know your typical work schedule). That amount of money is not going to factor into any decision to move an operation. Don't worry about that at all.

As far as your foreman and manager, you need to talk to HR and make it very clear that you do not hold them responsible, and tell them why. As far as scapegoating, the bigger concern would be if any co-workers try to use you as a rally point for any trouble-making, which in turn makes your foreman and manager appear to have lost authority. If you see even the first indications of that sort of behavior, you need to speak up and make it clear to them that they need to knock it off.

[Partisan1983]

From my calculations, they owe you $5760 based on a 40 hour workweek for 6 years (I didn't figure in any overtime, since I don't know your typical work schedule). That amount of money is not going to factor into any decision to move an operation. Don't worry about that at all.

As far as your foreman and manager, you need to talk to HR and make it very clear that you do not hold them responsible, and tell them why. As far as scapegoating, the bigger concern would be if any co-workers try to use you as a rally point for any trouble-making, which in turn makes your foreman and manager appear to have lost authority. If you see even the first indications of that sort of behavior, you need to speak up and make it clear to them that they need to knock it off.

Well the last 3 years I have been on mandatory 10 hour days, six days a week. Not to mention all the mandatory Sundays (which is double time) to cover the heat treat furnace.


Which is why I said FML in my earlier post....it's an hour drive to and from work, so the last three years have been not much living, which I feel is killing my relationship with friends.....and has almost killed my marriage (being 2nd and 3rd shift)....and to make matter's worse, all my friends at work are on either 1st or 3rd shift (come Thanksgiving, will be my one year on 2nd since I left 3rd).




We are NOT a union shop, we have an employee contract (to keep the union out).

[Partisan1983]

Thank you nfa.....if my foreman is at work tomorrow, I will pull him aside and say something. I will also tell him come Monday I want to talk with him and our HR rep at the same time.

[nfa1934]

With a 60 hour workweek and a lot of Sundays, it's still under $10K. If a shop closes over $10K, it was going to close anyway.

Just make sure your foreman understands you aren't trying to cause problems for him and you don't think it's his fault. Talking with both him and HR at the same time sounds like a good course of action.

[mriddick]

I had something similar happen to me, before you start counting money you might run into a situation where they only have to go back so far (in my case a year and half). I ended up with a check FedEx to me and had to sign a letter stating I was OK with the deal and would not seek any more money over it.

[Mark Ducati]

One of my colleagues in town was paying his staff every two weeks... one week they may have worked 46 hours and the following week they worked only 32 hrs... total of 78 hrs... but he paid the girls for a straight 78 hrs... when in reality, 6 of those hrs should have been overtime.

One of his assistants called him on it, he said no..... so she got the state wage commission involved.


My point, is that if an employer pays incorrectly and will not correct it, the state will step in... as for terminating the employee, GA is a right to hire and right to fire state. So that's a chance you take... there's no such thing as a wrongful dismissal in this state as no justification needs to be given.

So, be careful if your state has similar employee policies... I know you want whats right, but don't rock the boat too much either.

[LAGC]

We are NOT a union shop, we have an employee contract (to keep the union out).

I think THIS is your problem right here. You don't see shit like this happening in a union shop. Employees get compensated fairly, or the union steps in to make it right. Sucks not having an advocate when the management is screwing you over.

[nfa1934]

In the same amount of time, a union would have taken more than he's been shorted by his employer, then turned around and given it to a politician who wants to take away his rights and tax him to death. All while ensuring the business isn't competitive, so he eventually loses his job because either the shop closes or relocates.

Yeah, that's so much better.

[Ruskiegunlover]

No, if it were a union shop, they'd have laid him off years ago due to the high cost of labor and moved to mexico where people WANT to work......

[Warthogg]

One of my colleagues in town was paying his staff every two weeks... one week they may have worked 46 hours and the following week they worked only 32 hrs... total of 78 hrs... but he paid the girls for a straight 78 hrs... when in reality, 6 of those hrs should have been overtime.

One of his assistants called him on it, he said no..... so she got the state wage commission involved.


My point, is that if an employer pays incorrectly and will not correct it, the state will step in... as for terminating the employee, GA is a right to hire and right to fire state. So that's a chance you take... there's no such thing as a wrongful dismissal in this state as no justification needs to be given.

So, be careful if your state has similar employee policies... I know you want whats right, but don't rock the boat too much either.

While understanding Georgia is a right to fire state I'm thinking your colleague could be facing problems with the state for terminating the employee due to his problem with the State wage commission. If he has a history of under paying, he may have problems any way.


Wart

[Warthogg]

Just make sure your foreman understands you aren't trying to cause problems for him and you don't think it's his fault. Talking with both him and HR at the same time sounds like a good course of action.


Talking with both him and HR.......sounds like a good course of action.



Or even talking to your foreman and HR separately. nfa is definitely right in that you should talk to both and immediately.


Wart

[El Jefe]

I think THIS is your problem right here. You don't see shit like this happening in a union shop. Employees get compensated fairly, or the union steps in to make it right. Sucks not having an advocate when the management is screwing you over.

Yeah, because being unemployed is so much better. You should attempt to start and run a business some time, dude. You'll fail and go broke, but it would teach you some valuable real life lessons. I think you'd look at unions in a totally different light if you were a business owner having to deal with these fucks. Being the guy responsible for the payroll each week is a little rougher than just showing up and hitting the time clock.

[tank_monkey]

I think THIS is your problem right here. You don't see shit like this happening in a union shop. Employees get compensated fairly, or the union steps in to make it right. Sucks not having an advocate when the management is screwing you over.
Ah the fairy tales LAGC tells. You're better off listening to sponge Bob Square pants ;D

[tank_monkey]

With a 60 hour workweek and a lot of Sundays, it's still under $10K. If a shop closes over $10K, it was going to close anyway.


Correct. What happens, happens. If they're stand up guys, then they'll work with you. If they're crazy and want to blame someone, the failure of the entire enterprise rests with them, not anyone else.

[Cypher]

You should have mentioned the lack of pay a long time ago instead of waiting 6 years, IMO you shouldn't have to even ask but from my experience it's easy for stuff like that to fall through the cracks, no one will look out for you like you. Hopefully they will pay you what they owe you but given that amount of time maybe not the whole amount.

At this point I would only talk about it in person one on one with your foreman and the the HR person and not involve anyone else, don't tell anyone your getting back pay if you can help it and just drop it as far as the other workers are concerned.

[samiam]

I'll agree that the money you've been shorted won't have any effect on whether the plant closes. If they correct the shortage by issuing 1 check the tax man will get the majority of it plus putting you in a higher bracket.

[Warthogg]

At this point I would only talk about it in person one on one with your foreman and the the HR person and not involve anyone else, don't tell anyone your getting back pay if you can help it and just drop it as far as the other workers are concerned.

Yup


Wart

[Partisan1983]

You should have mentioned the lack of pay a long time ago instead of waiting 6 years, IMO you shouldn't have to even ask but from my experience it's easy for stuff like that to fall through the cracks, no one will look out for you like you. Hopefully they will pay you what they owe you but given that amount of time maybe not the whole amount.

At this point I would only talk about it in person one on one with your foreman and the the HR person and not involve anyone else, don't tell anyone your getting back pay if you can help it and just drop it as far as the other workers are concerned.


I did....many times. The problem was with our previous plant manager and foremans. I haven't mentioned a thing to anybody at work about it...I haven't even mentioned it to my wife yet.

[Partisan1983]

No, if it were a union shop, they'd have laid him off years ago due to the high cost of labor and moved to mexico where people WANT to work......


Correct. Not one of our shops around the country are Union controlled. They methodically closed 'em down one by one over the last 2 decades.

[Partisan1983]

In the same amount of time, a union would have taken more than he's been shorted by his employer, then turned around and given it to a politician who wants to take away his rights and tax him to death. All while ensuring the business isn't competitive, so he eventually loses his job because either the shop closes or relocates.

Yeah, that's so much better.

:thumbsup:

[Partisan1983]

I was trying to think about when exactly I got my second classification at work today.

I'm pretty sure it is somewhere in the ballpark of 4.5 to 5.5 years ago.

One of those years ('08) was pretty lousy for me. I was off for 1 month for temporary layoff. Came back for 2 weeks and ended up in a car accident. That put me out for 3.5 months. Came back to work for two weeks and was laid off for 2.5 months. What an awesome year that was.

[bum_whisperer]

I think THIS is your problem right here. You don't see shit like this happening in a union shop. Employees get compensated fairly, or the union steps in to make it right. Sucks not having an advocate when the management is screwing you over.

There you go "thinking" again. How would youknow this? Are you working under a union currently? Have you ever worked under a union? I know the corporations have been sticking it to you since you were conceived, but I'd like to hear of some real world experience.