The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[millcats66]

My new year started out on the wrong side of bed. First, my check engine light in my car came on forcing me to lose a day of work. Then, right in the middle of a snow storm, my main water line to the house failed icing my driveway and making me responsible for the repairs as it was on my side of the meter. That took me ask entire day an cost around $400 to repair. 6 days later, my son's 8 year old cat was dignosed with an inoperable tumor. We had to let her go that same day to prevent any further suffering. Not more than two days later, my central heating and air unit started making noise. The guy who came and looked at it disconnected the breaker and was still getting power to the unit. He pulled the breaker and found it had burned through but never tripped like it was supposed to. Scary! Might have just prevented a potential house fire. Replaced the breaker and fixed the noise, then had to pull the impeller for the blower out to clean it because it was caked with dirt and out of balance. That took most of the day.
All this happened in less than two weeks. If there is a bright side to this year.... it would be that all my misfortune is out the way and the rest of the year should be outstanding!

 

[margd]

My new year started out on the wrong side of bed. First, my check engine light in my car came on forcing me to lose a day of work. Then, right in the middle of a snow storm, my main water line to the house failed icing my driveway and making me responsible for the repairs as it was on my side of the meter. That took me ask entire day an cost around $400 to repair. 6 days later, my son's 8 year old cat was dignosed with an inoperable tumor. We had to let her go that same day to prevent any further suffering. Not more than two days later, my central heating and air unit started making noise. The guy who came and looked at it disconnected the breaker and was still getting power to the unit. He pulled the breaker and found it had burned through but never tripped like it was supposed to. Scary! Might have just prevented a potential house fire. Replaced the breaker and fixed the noise, then had to pull the impeller for the blower out to clean it because it was caked with dirt and out of balance. That took most of the day.
All this happened in less than two weeks. If there is a bright side to this year.... it would be that all my misfortune is out the way and the rest of the year should be outstanding!

Jeez, that's pretty awful.  I'm not sure I've ever had everything go wrong at once like that.  And to lose a cat in the middle of it.  I'm so sorry,   

  Well, hopefully, you are right and you now have eleven months to relax and recover. 

 

[millcats66]

@Margd Lol, I'm hoping the same thing, although after our child's passing, the first priority is getting the rest of our furballs in for their annual check up, 5 cats (3 who were rescues) & two dogs. This is very important to me and my wife. They are without a doubt the most special assignment of the new year!

 

[DreamerRose]

@millcats66  - That's just terrible! I am so sorry all of this happened to you at once. I hope all of the rest of your purry furries are fine, and the dogs too. Good luck must be coming your way for the rest of the year.

 

[millcats66]

@DreamerRose I sure hope so. All the other furries and the boys (dogs) are doing great! Getting ready for annual vet visit.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

 
Sure I can--if I want to be unemployed again.

Since I'm not tech savvy, I can't get both quoted in here, but complaints to the Labor Board can be made anonymously,  I know this for a fact.  YEARS ago, I made a complaint on an employer who was moving employees from one payroll to another to avoid paying overtime.  It was investigated, and the employer SWORE he'd find out who turned him in and burn them.  I worked for him for another two years before quitting for a decent job out of state.

 

[tallyollyopia]

 
@Tallyollyopia  Do you have any plans for submitting Magic School and Egg  anywhere?  Or any of your other writing?  You really are talented and I like to hope that someday you won't have to worry about breaks and lunch hours at the store.  It really seems to me that writing is your true calling.  Which brings up another issue when it comes to taking the promotion.  Would it have a negative effect

on your writing?  Would you be too exhausted to write?  Just another thing to think about.  

I'm in the process of sending a story, Stalkers of Darkness, around to literary agents to see if any of them are willing to take me as a writer. (I would love  to write full time, but it'll have to wait.) And yes, yes I think I would be too tired to write.

 
I don't understand how people can let employers get away with breaking a federal law. Not giving breaks is not just a violation of state law. You can't just run scared every time an employer breaks the law because you think you will get fired. As you know by now in a case like this you would be eligible for Unemployment Insurance.

You have to insist on being given required breaks. It is not up to you to cover for your employer's goof for not covering when you are not available. As long as you and others do that employers will keep taking advantage of their employees. You can also contact OSHA and the Labor Commission (also known as Labor Board) to have them investigate, this sort of thing is investigated without the employer ever finding out who complained. Walmart was fined because of just that sort of thing and now is really careful about violations.  Of course now they have gone overboard and become sticklers about their employees taking breaks exactly on the minute and fire them for breaking it. Mostly it is inevitable and the employee is eligible for UI which really pisses off Walmart.

You have to stand up for your rights. Ask your employer now how your breaks are going to be covered, what you are supposed to do when your relief is late etc. You need to fight abuse before it happens. Once it is entrenched it is almost impossible to get out of it. 

A defeatist attitude will get you nowhere.

What a lot of people forget, is that those cases happened in cities, not small towns. I know several members of the local labor commission; they go to church with my grandmother. They are also inveterate gossips. And yes, I know they're not supposed to gossip about work; they  know they're not supposed to gossip about work, but they don't care.

 
The problem is: most people are "employees at will".. Although, it is against the law to fire someone for reporting their company or to even threaten to fire them; they can make their employment lives a living He!!.....

Because of "employee at will" status, your employer can trump up any charges in order to lead up to a firing..and they can make it sound legit.. it is then up to the fired employee to prove them wrong..

this is where Unions come into play.. alas there are so few of them around..

Do you forget what happened to @Alicia88  ??? it could be worse...

that is why people are so afraid of contacting the labor department... 

And that's another thing; remember my mini rant about not being able to get off work on time? I could easily  be fired for that, and there's no way for me to prove that I was late getting off because my relief was late.

 
One more thing. Every employer is required to put up a large poster supplied by the Dept of Labor describing these rights and how to file a complaint.

Where would I look to find this poster? It's not up where I work.

 
sadly employers will put a target on your back..because the little always sings..someone will open mouth and blab about it.

in my company we have to take a 30 min break for every 5 hours of work. we have to punch out for lunch. and so far it's working out ok. but hopefully you can find out exactly how to do the breaks...also find out how many hours they can make you work in a 24 hour period...not sure if there is a limit.

If the company across the street is any indication, eighteen hours. (We sell a lot Red Bull and Five Hour Energy drinks.)

My new year started out on the wrong side of bed. First, my check engine light in my car came on forcing me to lose a day of work. Then, right in the middle of a snow storm, my main water line to the house failed icing my driveway and making me responsible for the repairs as it was on my side of the meter. That took me ask entire day an cost around $400 to repair. 6 days later, my son's 8 year old cat was dignosed with an inoperable tumor. We had to let her go that same day to prevent any further suffering. Not more than two days later, my central heating and air unit started making noise. The guy who came and looked at it disconnected the breaker and was still getting power to the unit. He pulled the breaker and found it had burned through but never tripped like it was supposed to. Scary! Might have just prevented a potential house fire. Replaced the breaker and fixed the noise, then had to pull the impeller for the blower out to clean it because it was caked with dirt and out of balance. That took most of the day.
All this happened in less than two weeks. If there is a bright side to this year.... it would be that all my misfortune is out the way and the rest of the year should be outstanding!

 
Since I'm not tech savvy, I can't get both quoted in here, but complaints to the Labor Board can be made anonymously,  I know this for a fact.  YEARS ago, I made a complaint on an employer who was moving employees from one payroll to another to avoid paying overtime.  It was investigated, and the employer SWORE he'd find out who turned him in and burn them.  I worked for him for another two years before quitting for a decent job out of state.

Again, this is a small town where everyone knows everyone and there are no secrets.

 

[DreamerRose]

The poster has to be placed where all employees can read it. That's usually in the break room, which you probably don't have. It's huge, about 2 feet by 3 feet; you can't miss it. It sounds like your employer hasn't posted it, which is another violation of the law.

 

[Willowy]

I'm fairly certain you can make an anonymous call to the state/federal people to make a report, and as long as you never ever tell anyone I don't see how anyone could ever find out. That's not to say that the boss won't take it out on everyone, but it could improve things. I'll see if I can find a number.

OK, this looks helpful: https://www.dol.gov/whd/contact_us.htm

 

[artiemom]

Yes, you can make an anonymous call to the state labor board, but if it is a small company, then They (employer) will probably know who it was.. they will have their 'snitch' find out.. sorry for the ugly language, but it is true..

I worked in a major teaching hospital.. We never got breaks.. we worked straight through to lunch; that is IF we got a lunch and an uninterrupted one at that.. no morning break, no afternoon break...

All of this was unpaid also... and they 'dared' us to make a stink..

Well, many years ago, people at a different major teaching hospital banded a group of employees together to file a suit against their employer for unpaid overtime.. they had their records complete... 

Yes, they won!! thousands and thousands of dollars....

Since that happened, all the hospitals installed a punch in time clock.. yup, a time clock.. to punch in and out in the day... not for lunches or breaks...and then the law was passed that we are "exempt" employees--required to work overtime.. it is forced overtime.. get paid for it.. but after a while, it did not matter... emergencies were one thing--no one complained about that, but if you had to work mandatory overtime because of someone else's poor work habits or time management, or patients arriving hours late for routine appointments.. well that is what really put you over the edge...

The bottom line is that some employers do not feel their employees are human.. that they have a life outside of work, or that they need rest... that is why I am for Unions to make a huge comeback..

 

[Margret]

 

 
@Tallyollyopia  Do you have any plans for submitting Magic School and Egg  anywhere?  Or any of your other writing?  You really are talented and I like to hope that someday you won't have to worry about breaks and lunch hours at the store.  It really seems to me that writing is your true calling.  Which brings up another issue when it comes to taking the promotion.  Would it have a negative effect

on your writing?  Would you be too exhausted to write?  Just another thing to think about.  

I'm in the process of sending a story, Stalkers of Darkness, around to literary agents to see if any of them are willing to take me as a writer. (I would love  to write full time, but it'll have to wait.) And yes, yes I think I would be too tired to write.

 
I don't understand how people can let employers get away with breaking a federal law. Not giving breaks is not just a violation of state law. You can't just run scared every time an employer breaks the law because you think you will get fired. As you know by now in a case like this you would be eligible for Unemployment Insurance.

You have to insist on being given required breaks. It is not up to you to cover for your employer's goof for not covering when you are not available. As long as you and others do that employers will keep taking advantage of their employees. You can also contact OSHA and the Labor Commission (also known as Labor Board) to have them investigate, this sort of thing is investigated without the employer ever finding out who complained. Walmart was fined because of just that sort of thing and now is really careful about violations.  Of course now they have gone overboard and become sticklers about their employees taking breaks exactly on the minute and fire them for breaking it. Mostly it is inevitable and the employee is eligible for UI which really pisses off Walmart.

You have to stand up for your rights. Ask your employer now how your breaks are going to be covered, what you are supposed to do when your relief is late etc. You need to fight abuse before it happens. Once it is entrenched it is almost impossible to get out of it. 

A defeatist attitude will get you nowhere.

What a lot of people forget, is that those cases happened in cities, not small towns. I know several members of the local labor commission; they go to church with my grandmother. They are also inveterate gossips. And yes, I know they're not supposed to gossip about work; they  know they're not supposed to gossip about work, but they don't care.

 
The problem is: most people are "employees at will".. Although, it is against the law to fire someone for reporting their company or to even threaten to fire them; they can make their employment lives a living He!!.....

Because of "employee at will" status, your employer can trump up any charges in order to lead up to a firing..and they can make it sound legit.. it is then up to the fired employee to prove them wrong..

this is where Unions come into play.. alas there are so few of them around..

Do you forget what happened to @Alicia88  ??? it could be worse...

that is why people are so afraid of contacting the labor department... 

And that's another thing; remember my mini rant about not being able to get off work on time? I could easily  be fired for that, and there's no way for me to prove that I was late getting off because my relief was late.

 
One more thing. Every employer is required to put up a large poster supplied by the Dept of Labor describing these rights and how to file a complaint.

Where would I look to find this poster? It's not up where I work.

 
sadly employers will put a target on your back..because the little always sings..someone will open mouth and blab about it.

in my company we have to take a 30 min break for every 5 hours of work. we have to punch out for lunch. and so far it's working out ok. but hopefully you can find out exactly how to do the breaks...also find out how many hours they can make you work in a 24 hour period...not sure if there is a limit.

If the company across the street is any indication, eighteen hours. (We sell a lot Red Bull and Five Hour Energy drinks.)

My new year started out on the wrong side of bed. First, my check engine light in my car came on forcing me to lose a day of work. Then, right in the middle of a snow storm, my main water line to the house failed icing my driveway and making me responsible for the repairs as it was on my side of the meter. That took me ask entire day an cost around $400 to repair. 6 days later, my son's 8 year old cat was dignosed with an inoperable tumor. We had to let her go that same day to prevent any further suffering. Not more than two days later, my central heating and air unit started making noise. The guy who came and looked at it disconnected the breaker and was still getting power to the unit. He pulled the breaker and found it had burned through but never tripped like it was supposed to. Scary! Might have just prevented a potential house fire. Replaced the breaker and fixed the noise, then had to pull the impeller for the blower out to clean it because it was caked with dirt and out of balance. That took most of the day.
All this happened in less than two weeks. If there is a bright side to this year.... it would be that all my misfortune is out the way and the rest of the year should be outstanding!

 
Since I'm not tech savvy, I can't get both quoted in here, but complaints to the Labor Board can be made anonymously,  I know this for a fact.  YEARS ago, I made a complaint on an employer who was moving employees from one payroll to another to avoid paying overtime.  It was investigated, and the employer SWORE he'd find out who turned him in and burn them.  I worked for him for another two years before quitting for a decent job out of state.

Again, this is a small town where everyone knows everyone and there are no secrets.

Don't you work in some kind of a chain store?  A Mini Mart or something?  I wonder whether these violations are happening at their other locations?  Maybe the whole chain needs to be reported, at either the federal or state level.  If it's the entire chain being investigated there's no way they could trace it back to you.

Margret

 

[DreamerRose]

Yes, you can make an anonymous call to the state labor board, but if it is a small company, then They (employer) will probably know who it was.. they will have their 'snitch' find out.. sorry for the ugly language, but it is true..

I worked in a major teaching hospital.. We never got breaks.. we worked straight through to lunch; that is IF we got a lunch and an uninterrupted one at that.. no morning break, no afternoon break...
All of this was unpaid also... and they 'dared' us to make a stink..

Well, many years ago, people at a different major teaching hospital banded a group of employees together to file a suit against their employer for unpaid overtime.. they had their records complete... 

Yes, they won!! thousands and thousands of dollars....

Since that happened, all the hospitals installed a punch in time clock.. yup, a time clock.. to punch in and out in the day... not for lunches or breaks...and then the law was passed that we are "exempt" employees--required to work overtime.. it is forced overtime.. get paid for it.. but after a while, it did not matter... emergencies were one thing--no one complained about that, but if you had to work mandatory overtime because of someone else's poor work habits or time management, or patients arriving hours late for routine appointments.. well that is what really put you over the edge...

The bottom line is that some employers do not feel their employees are human.. that they have a life outside of work, or that they need rest... that is why I am for Unions to make a huge comeback..

Exempt employees are management or salaried. If you are non-exempt, that is, paid by the hour, you are protected by labor laws.

 

[Alicia88]

I hope you can get things worked out.  Job stress can really make you crazy.

Tomorrow is my first official day.  I'm pretty excited.  

 

[raina21]

We don't get official breaks either. Most shifts are 6-8 hours but our only breaks are when its slow and there are no customers and there's nothing else to do (usually 10-15 minutes MAX). That is the only time we get to eat. There isn't really time to sit and relax but we can eat (and food is free while you're on the clock).

Sometimes people will work open-close (8am-9pm+ 1/2 hour to an hour since we have to close everything down and clean everything for the people who open the next day) but that's pretty rare. I've had a few of those shifts and BOY are they AWFUL!

 

[Alicia88]

My sister called DD's child services case worker and got nothing but double talk.  I know what they're doing.  They're gonna wait until she has that baby then they're gonna take it away and adopt it out.  DD is too old to be adopted out and they can't make money off her so they don't give a damn what happens to her.

 

[segelkatt]

Exempt employees are management or salaried. If you are non-exempt, that is, paid by the hour, you are protected by labor laws.

The problem is that most people don't know the law or if they do they are afraid to insist on their rights because of fear they will be fired. And so the abuse continues.

 

[DreamerRose]

Employers do. When they start witholding income tax and those other payroll deductions, the govt informs them. And sorry to say, employees should know their rights.

I thought we were helping with that here.

 

[Alicia88]

It sucks when you're in an "at will" state.  Employers can fire you without even stating a reason.

 

[segelkatt]

 
The problem is: most people are "employees at will".. Although, it is against the law to fire someone for reporting their company or to even threaten to fire them; they can make their employment lives a living He!!.....

Because of "employee at will" status, your employer can trump up any charges in order to lead up to a firing..and they can make it sound legit.. it is then up to the fired employee to prove them wrong..

this is where Unions come into play.. alas there are so few of them around..

Do you forget what happened to @Alicia88  ??? it could be worse...

that is why people are so afraid of contacting the labor department... 

I was a union steward on my last job. I grew up in a country where unions have a lot of power. It used to be here the same but over the last 50 years fewer and fewer people belong to unions and it shows in the abuse that employers dish out to their employees. Also, most people still believe that unions are only for people who are plumbers, electricians, carpenters etc. I had a state job in an office, I was considered a "professional"  but as I was paid a set salary per month but not a supervisor or manager I was not an "exempt" employee and thus had to be paid OT for anything over 40 hrs per week.  Employers like Walmart have not only discouraged employees from joining unions but have gone so far as to fire employees under some pretext just for TALKING about a union. The only way this will change is if employees, fired or still working,  complain to labor commissions etc and insist on their rights. Walmart has now stopped persecuting employees over union talk but still makes it hard for them to do so. They abide by the letter of the law but not by its intent.

 

[Alicia88]

John used to work at Wal*Mart.  He said in the back and in the break room they have all kinds of propaganda against unions and how evil they are.