In all my years as union steward, I've never filed a complaint against a craft person until now

[Omaha Steve]

I'm going in to file the complaint today on my day off to start the action. I'm supposed to keep craft out of trouble. This is new to me. The other day I followed my employers policy to the letter. There were several witnesses, so it was obvious to me I had no other choice. Since then an employee has created a hostile workplace for me. Management is very well aware of the situation. I'm only filing the complaint. What management does is outside my influence in this case. It means a minimum of days without pay and could result in termination due to the circumstances with this individual. It does not feel good knowing my action could take the bread off this mans family dinner table. How do sharks do this for a living?

I've said all I can about this for now. But here is something related from the other day: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=9260952


OS

[yellerpup]

1. Sorry you are having to deal, OS.

You've done what you can do and you can't protect someone from themselves. Sounds like the employee is his/her own worst enemy. We all know that you can be trusted to protect workers and do the right thing. If bread comes off the table it will be his fault, not yours. Still, not a good way to end the week and you have my sympathy.

[Omaha Steve]

4. Yes he is his own worst enemy

After being told to shut up several times this year.

[old mark]

2. I was a steward in a mental hospital (sounds like a book title) - and I got

complaints from several AFSCME member aides and nurses about a specific male RN who was too familiar for their comfort, and occasionally nasty when they told him about it. They wanted to grieve. I knew the RN, and I told thei I would speak to him first to make him aware of their problems with him and if that didn't work, we would file.

Turned out he was having a lot of problems with management harrassing him and he had been suspended for giving a patient medicated foot powder without a MD's prescription (It was something that anyone could buy OTC.) Management did not like him because he was gay. I made him aware of the problems he was causing for the others woeking in his ward, and he said he was not aware of it, but he had been angry and depressed by the management actions and would try to behave better at work.

Whatever he did worked and the aides and LPN told me the ward was a much better place to work.

I hated to file against any worker in the hospital because the management was at war against all of us, and I felt we should be united against them, despite belonging to different unions. Sometimes this worked, sometimes not, but I am aware that sometimes you have no cnoice but to do what the contract calls for, like it or not.


mark

[Uben]

3. I was a steelworker for many years

When I took a management job, I had to do what I had to do to keep the workplace safe and productive. That meant disciplinary actions and even firing a few. It wasn't fun, but necessary.
On one occasion, I had a lathe operator come in shit-faced drunk. He was a guy I really liked, a good worker who was having family problems. Since he had not clocked in yet, I told him he needed to go back home, and he should never come to work in that condition again. HE left. The next day.......drunk as a skunk. He had already clocked in and was at his machine. Several workers let me know he was shit-faced because they were concerned for his safety. I had to fire the guy. That's really the only one I have fired that I really liked. This was a union shop. The union prez, vice-prez and a steward all worked for me, and witnessed the whole thing, and agreed I had no choice but to do what I had to do.
I never had a problem firing a guy who did not show up for work, was a lousy worker, or disruptive, but when it's a good worker who always made production quotas, it hurt.

I had one guy who would miss a day about once every two weeks. I pulled him aside and asked him how he would like a $200/mo raise.
He was excited and said that would be great! I told him "Show up for work!" HE got the message!

[B Calm]

5. I hope they fire the union hating SOB!

[Bombero1956]

6. I had something simular happen to me a few years ago

A couple of fellow firefighters got into a fight that knocked the teeth out of one of the firefighter's mouth. Because the start of the fight wasn't witnessed charges were imposed on both. I had to write letters and offer testimony on what I saw and who said what. I felt weird being cross examined by my own union at the hearings and how hard they went at me to shake my testimony. When union members are caught up in discipline there are no winners. I feel for ya.

[petronius]

7. That obviously sucks, but when one person is behaving in a hostile way,

you have no choice - basically, you're protecting the other workers as well as yourself.

I followed the link to the other thread, and one thing confused me: where I work, even people who don't join the union pay a monthly fee that is calculated to cover to union's costs for basic services like negotiation and representation. Is that not common?

[Omaha Steve]

8. I got several requests for more info on this

I can't answer questions on this until management decides what to do.

OS

[lumberjack_jeff]

9. Is this the scab?

If so, fuck him.

On edit:
Oh, I see that it is.

Think about the person who needs that job instead.