F*ck my job

I've been working a second job for nearly 3 years, but this last year my boss has been a real jerk about deducting hours from everyone's paycheck. 

I've been getting hours deducted due to "drive time".  I work construction on the weekends, and after clocking in, and loading up equipment and supplies for nearly half an hour, we get in the work trucks and drive off to the job site.  Sometimes it's 5 minutes away, sometimes it's an hour.  My boss decided that since we do not do anything on the way to the job site, that we should not get paid.  He deducts accordingly.  Sometimes it's two hours, sometimes it's half an hour.  But that adds up over time.  

Another thing he has been doing, is that if someone on our crew is late, the whole crew gets deducted.  If John Smith is 4 minutes late, the entire crew get's a half hour deduction.  He says that "waiting for him" to show up, is NOT WORKING.  It just really got to me this week, because I worked both Saturday and Sunday, 16 hours each, and I only got paid for 25 hours total.  Those hours add up, I bet for this season I've lost damn near 90 hours due to this practice.  I know, I know... quit the job.  Not that easy, and here's the twist, my boss, is my uncle.  It's also not like he does this to keep the business afloat.  The company is the biggest of it's kind in the state, and the guy has more money then I could spend in 5 lifetimes.  I don't want to bite the hand that feeds me, but I'm tired of this nickle and dimming bullshit.  

edit: I have searched google for answers to is this, to see if it's "legal" but haven't found anything that correlates.  

The thing is, I kind of feel like an asshole for even complaining about it.  So many people are out of work, and here I am working two jobs. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Pathetic 

Your uncle sounds like a 1920's film character.

 

 

You know what, that describes him pretty well.  He employs over 300 workers, and every year he fires the "lowest 10 percent".  He does some equation with time worked, what time people punch in, how many times they call in sick, etc.  

We don't get breaks, unless it's "driving" to the next job site, and if he caught us taking a lunch break, we'd get fired.  I've seen him fire a guy for taking a crap.  And, I kid you not, one of my co-workers went up to him a few years ago and said "is there anyway I could come in late on Sundays, I want to take my mom to church", to which he replied "you can pray to me on Sundays when you get here, how bout that?".   To call him an asshole would be an upgrade, he's the type that sits in his car all day and watches us work, just waiting for someone to screw up.  

He acts this way, I think, because his work force is 95% high school drop outs, and ex-cons.  What are they going to do?  

If the economy was fine, I'd quit.  I just have it in the back of my mind, that as soon as I do, I'm going to get laid off from my main job.  That is the reason I started working there 3 years ago, I got my hours cut at my other job and needed to supplement my wages.  He was nice enough to give me a job then, so I don't want to burn bridges.  

I did just write Work Force Development in my state an email, outlining each one of my above complaints.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrTyres 

The moment you are clocked in and driving a company vehicle, you are on company time. Any accident is covered by his business insurance. In fact, he could lose his insurance if non-employees are driving them or driving off the clock. Some states have very stringent work rules about lunches, even right to work states. Kentucky requires a meal break if your shift is 5 hours or longer. Pay docking is often covered under labor laws.  Definitely contact someone.

I brought that exact insurance thing up to our foreman, to which he replied "that is why he deducts hours at the end of the week, and not that day".

Quote:

Originally Posted by A-Pathetic 

Then you obviously already knew the answer of whether or not this was legal.

 

ehhh, not really.  I'm still expecting there to be some loop hole..... 

Plus, being an insurance issue, doesn't always make it illegal. 

LOL, so lesson learned, crash the truck every week.  

Reminds me of the seasonal meeting this past spring.  One of the CDL drivers crashed a truck over the winter while plowing.  Nothing major.  But he made the guy stand up the entire meeting (about an hour) to humiliate the guy.  

no, not at all.  He's short, prolly pushing 5'-6", over weight, and can barely walk due to a bum hip. He just has a lot of money.  Like I said, he hires many ex cons, most of which are grateful to him because he pays well, and he gave them a job while other companies wouldn't.  From the sound of that, he seems like a good guy, but he has this mean streak to him, and is fire happy. 

Over the past 5 months, I've seen him personally fire 8 guys.  One for going to the bathroom too much (the guy had a stomach flu) and another guy for parking on the street in a spot he wanted by the shop.  He went up to the guy and told him to "move your fucking car now, before I have someone ram a forklift through it".  After he moved it, he fired him.  My friend Ben, got laid off for nearly 3 months because he told him he couldn't work one weekend because he had his kids and couldn't find anyone to watch them.  It went from "fine, take the rest of the day off if you don't want to work" to "take off next week", "take the month off", to eventually "I'll call you when I want you to work again".  It's not so bad for me, because I work there 2 days a week.  

yes, I do believe that is why he hires drop outs and ex-cons.  I think by doing that, it gives him freedom to bend the laws and business ethics.  Mix with that, a terrible economy and a bad job market... people are scared to complain and stand up for their rights as a worker.  I keep my mouth shut do to the relation. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Princess Kate 

 

 

Then you are selling out those he exploits

everyone is selling out themselves.  They have mouths, and ways to go about dealing with it as well.  

Ed, you have no idea.  Even at my other job, I get that attitude all the time from my bosses.  The "you don't like it, what you going to do" attitude.  Pay cut... tough... hour cut,... tough.... no more health insurance... go cry about it.  I may sound like a nut job, but I think employers somewhat enjoy this unemployment rate (non-retail that is).  They can put this constant fear into their employees about layoffs and make them feel guilty about complaining about their job...   It's a real sick world.  

well, I think that is the huge issue at hand.  With workers taking cuts, and adding more duties to their job over the past couple years... what incentive does Mr Burns have for making new jobs.  Joe Schmo can do 3 jobs... who cares if he doesn't like it, he's doing it... and it reduces payroll and insurance cost.

I sent it in yesterday, just checked my email, nothing yet.  It said 1 to 3 days, so by Friday at the latest.

He is such a jackass with the breaks.  This is how it would work if he got called out on it.

"It's up the foreman's when they get breaks, they are supposed to, so if they are not, it's the foreman's fault".

Now, let's say the foreman allow us to have a lunch, and Uncle Scrooge shows up and sees us sitting around eating a sandwich.

"GET BACK TO FUCKING WORK, I DON'T PAY YOU TO SIT ON YOUR ASS... I'M DEDUCTING AN HOUR FROM YOUR PAY!!!!!"

Then he would go up to the foreman, and threaten his job.  So that is why the foreman won't allow us to have breaks.  I know this, because when he is on vacation, the work environment is different.  We get breaks, we can stop at McDonald's to grab a burger... I can take a truck to a rest stop to take a #2, instead of crapping in a bucket and burying it in the grass. 

trust me when I say this, everything I have written is the tip of the ice-berg.... I could go on about stuff, and it would shock and sicken everyone. 

I've seen the man, go up to someones face, and scream "I fucking hate your fucking guts, you worthless cunt".. and the guy just stand there and take it. 

I don't know what this says about me as a man, but Friday nights, I can't sleep.  I just think about tomorrow, and what I'm going to have to go through, or see.  I got screamed at, because i took a water break when it was 97 degrees out.  My heart was beating so fast, and I nearly passed out.  You know it's bad when you down a 32oz of gatoraide at 9am, and don't have to take a piss until the next day.

I'm sure I will get made fun of for saying this, but I was in near tears after my first day there.  I was sun burned and looking like a lobster, starving, dehydrated, and sorer then i have ever been in my life.  The dirt was stuck to my burned face, and taking a shower felt like acid going on my face.  I didn't get home till 10pm, and I had to be up again at 3am.  This is when I had my hours cut at my other job, the only thing that got me through that was the thought of my son, and doing this for me.  I'm used to the conditions now... I don't know if that is a good thing or bad.   Tried telling my dad about it, he's a blue collared guy.. hard working union man.... and he just said "as bad as it get's, other people have it worse".  I guess it's in my blood. 

But even as I write that, I feel bad for complaining.  He gave me a grand when I got married.  Blood money I suppose.  

Blood.. 

Oh, he is one at home.  I'm terrified of him to be honest, so I don't want to post what I know of his homelife.  You want to know, PM me... May be crazy, but I'm scared he may find my posts on this thread.  The home shit, is really bad. 

oh, you mean when I had a broken leg and had to use a hospital certified urine dispenser while I was on bed rest.... 

Do you not read the thread Kate, did I not say that I contacted the Department of Work Force Development?  

you have to understand, how it's not so easy for me to just "bust" him.  I understand, what he is doing is probably illegal, and the guy is an all around douchebag (he divorced his wife when she became ill with a serious illness), but, he did help me out when I was down.... without him giving me this job when i got my hours cut, I may have lost my car, or my house, or both.  Not to mention, he is family, and I do have to see him outside of work.  When I do hear back, and if it is indeed illegal, I will pursue it with the Work Force Development Agency, but I will not disclose my identity too them.  It's just something I can not do.  I hope there is some type protection they offer when employees report employers.  When this thing gets rolling, I'm going to talk to some of my closest friends there, and see if they will be willing to come forward.  But, it's easier said then done.  People fear for their jobs, it's their livelyhood, and my uncle finds out people are going behind his back to the government, people's heads will roll.... 

I'd really like to see some sort of a union form at my work, it's been brought up before... but never anything more then idle mentions.