Ford To Monitor, Time Employees' Potty Breaks

AP ^ | 10/27/05 | Staff

[Jaysun]

I nailed it! AT my company I hear the complaint all of the time that "I should be getting a bigger raise. I've been here for X number of years."

Needless to say those making the complaints are the least productive employees. One particular complainer missed >30 days of sick time last year.

I have two little companies right now. I'd rather shut them both down than be extorted by a union.

Think of how absurd the whole idea is. I risk my money, my future, and put my family at risk to start a business. Jobs are created. People willingly fill those jobs and can leave anytime they want without restraint. Prior to their starting work we agree on their pay, benefits, and duties. Away we go, hoping to find Jesus and stay afloat.

In walks some guy a couple of years later who proceeds to inform me that my labor cost have just doubled, that I'll now be providing health insurance, and that I'm also throwing in 3 weeks of paid vacation per year. Then he presents a list of duties that my employees will no longer be performing (secretary will no longer be making the coffee, for example). If I don't meet these demands he threatens to have all of my employees stop working until I change my mind or go out of business.

No thanks. The doors to that place would be locked until I replace the mutinous workforce..........and they'd never find that bastard's body.

[DeweyCA]

Does this article imply that some Ford workers are currently taking more than their allotted 48 minutes?! Holy crap!!

[TChris]

A good example of union contract incrementalism.

A welders union working on a pipeline here in Wyoming had brought along similarly "incrementalized" benefits with their contract. They demanded a 20 lb block of ice for each welder, each day, regardless of season. Those welders would dump out barely-melted blocks of ice from their water coolers and put in a fresh one every day. This one benefit more than doubled the ice consumption of the town of Evanston -- pop 11,500 -- while they were there.

[fso301]

How much time is given for smoke breaks?

[Sterco]

I have worked in the hot summer sun in Wyo.. I doubt that there was much ice left in the water cooler at the end of the day. This sounds like another front office legend to me. You would probably melt under the sun they work in.

[Beagle8U]

The 48 min. for personal time, (either paid or unpaid) comes from US labor law governing assembly line workers.
10% for personal time must be granted.
For non assembly line workers you must allow one 15 min. break every 4 hours.

Damn few companies offer only the minimum required by law, and seldom enforce their own rules unless they are being abused.
Laws vary from state to state, those are Federal minimums.

[citizen]

Ya know you can't go if someone's watching.

[TChris]

I have worked in the hot summer sun in Wyo.. I doubt that there was much ice left in the water cooler at the end of the day. This sounds like another front office legend to me. You would probably melt under the sun they work in.

I have as well. I welded in Riverton in the summer of 1997 on the roof of the new airport. I just drank about a gallon of water every day and sweat like a pig in my leathers. :-)

[Sterco]

And you begrudge these workers "ice-water"? I worked as a gang climber back in the seventies when the RR still had a pole line. I remember how important that cold water was. I remember the Wyoming hot and I damn sure remember the sub-zero cold. We would eat our frozen sandwiches outside so as not to warm up and have to freeze down all over again. When your fingers and toes quit achin you want to keep it that way. Another over paid union job.

[Paved Paradise]

That's easily resolved. You don't give her the money. There is nothing wrong with being frivolous occassionally or treating oneself (or however you want to put it) but it's best if one learns that with all good things come a little sacrifice (a good lesson to learn early in life). But your daughter is no different than most : )

[Willie Green]

For non assembly line workers you must allow one 15 min. break every 4 hours.
Damn few companies offer only the minimum required by law,

Actually, the federal minimum is 10 minutes.
Perhaps there are some states that specify 15
and I'm certain there are individual companies that offer 15 (either as a generous perk or as a contractural concesion.)
But over the last 30 years that I've worked as an industrial engineer, setting labor standards in 7 different factories in 6 different states, every one of them had 10 minute breaks.

Damn few companies offer only the minimum required by law,

That's true as far as actual wage-rates and benefits go,
but actual time on the clock is a different story.
But then again, my experience is with more mature, smokestack industries.
Perhaps high-tech manufacturing became sloppy back when they had money to burn.
It wouldn't surprise me at all to learn that some Kalifornia Komputer companies maybe took a more laid-back approach towards their workforce.

and seldom enforce their own rules unless they are being abused.

Yeah, that's a problem no matter where you go.

[md2576]

A union spokesman said managers are being petty.

Doesn't she mean "A union spokesman said managers are being poopy"

[Paved Paradise]

Honestly, regardless of the price or what people say about them building them here, I will NEVER buy a Toyota, Honda or any of those brands. In fact, I try, whenever possible, to buy USA made. I know, I know.... it's not quite so simple anymore but I do try. The thing of it is.... most of the people who whine about the high wages the unions make are going to find out rather quickly how this is going to affect other areas. I would not want to work on an assembly line and I think you should pay people a higher wage for doing something horribly boring and repetitive - plus the environment is not the greatest. Most people have not even been in a plant - they are cold and dark in the winter - hot and dark in the summer and there are all kinds of exposures that office people don't have. I try to see things from inside the shoes of other people.

[Fintan]

 

 

[md2576]

If Ford is like GM then they have 12 hour shifts, not eight.

[1rudeboy]

What, and its employees work three days a week?

[Red Badger]

Sometimes I wonder if Space Aliens have captured my daughter and replaced her with a clone who spends money on absolutely idiotic things! She wasn't raised to be frivolous, but frugal. ........

[Red Badger]

No "GAS PASS"..........

[don-o]

bathroom breaks; they were called "taking a special.

I call mine "taking a Clinton" or similar

[Sterco]

Here I sit all broken hearted I came to crap and only ....