Ford Motor Company Will Monitor & Time Worker's Bathroom Breaks

[matcom]

<snip>

DETROIT -- Ford has a better idea: shorter bathroom breaks.

Managers of the motor company's truck plant in Wayne, Mich., said excessive breaks are slowing down production of SUVs. Ford said its contract with the United Autoworkers union allows 48 minutes of bathroom breaks per shift.

A memo this week warned workers are spending too much time in the restroom and said supervisors are going to be keeping close tabs on break time. The memo cites what it said are "risks associated with safety, quality, delivery, cost and morale."

A union spokesman said managers are being petty.

http://www.wftv.com/automotive/5187213/detail.html

[Clintmax]

1. Good gods!

48 minutes of bathroom breaks!! I can honestly say it never takes me more than 2 minutes to go to the bathroom at any one time! Who NEEDS that much time?? Ridiculous.

[Spacemom]

6. I think this means

48 minutes over the course of an entire shift.

[kick-ass-bob]

9. but that would be 24 bathroom breaks during the shift.

Do you go every half hour?

:7

[LostinVA]

11. These are in plants -- it's probably a 10-15 minute walk

to a bathroom

[Blue Diadem]

7. That is lengthy however

without knowing exactly where the restrooms are in relationship to the work areas, it's really difficult to say if it's too long. Some of those plants are huge and I'm betting the restrooms are not strategically placed. I don't know about Ford but hubby worked in a place that was so large the supervisors used golf carts to easily and quickly get from one work station to another.

edited to add: I'm wondering if this is their 2 breaks, one before and after lunch.

[Thtwudbeme]

2. Shit! We need those SUV's as fast as possible!

Dumb assed employee slaves...don't they freaking know better!

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. But what if...

you had a bran muffin and 3 really strong cups of coffee for breakfast?

Then what?

I'd call a lawyer if I was them folks.
fsc

[LostinVA]

10. Nope -- Federal law says employers don't have to give you any bathroom bre

Per poultry company employees: they would literally wear Depends so they could urinate and defecate on the line, because they weren't allowed break.

This is basic human dignity, folks.

[GirlinContempt]

12. Yeah, but if it's unionized

and they have a contract, they have to allow them whatever is agreed upon. Thats the whole point.

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. I was being facetious.

Looks like having MS would actually put me ahead of the game this time then. We get to wear Depends anyway. Some of us.


fsc

[noonwitch]

4. I worked once at an IHOP where we had to punch out to use the bathroom

Stingy bastard manager, who spent all day either playing the Space Invaders machine or gaping at the waitresses' legs. It was one of the worst jobs ever.

[JPZenger]

5. Ford Has History of Bathroom Checks

Henry Ford used to have an internal security force that would monitor everything about workers - on and off the job - including timing their bathroom breaks. At one point, when Henry Ford was getting senile, the head of that security force was practically running the company.

[BuelahWitch]

8. Give them a specimen

Pee/shit in a cup and drop it off on your supervisor's desk...