quad decade guy
Well-Known Member
Ok. Fair enough. You don't "get" my points because you are sitting at home without a job and don't have a clue why. Fair statement?
No? I try to be as respectful to OP's in the beginning but conversations on BC tend to deteriorate. Your case seems simple enough as you have described it. I get it. They pestered you on meal 500 feet away....As I understand it-you stopped short of inbounding(TA) through the airport gate to "stop the pestering". Let's explore: if this "pestering" was on your private cell phone, turn it off. If this "pestering" was on your IVIS, turn it off also(if you are on meal). Roll through the gate,TA on arrival and go on meal. Do all the above. Don't want to turn off your IVIS? Set it out on the tractor catwalk in your backpack or something. Now this 500 feet. It could be construed(by mgt) that you sitting off property(500 feet) could be considered stealing time(moving back and forth)(whatever). I could describe what the conversations between dispatchers and mgt could or would be....but really, here you are. In the end, this event was easily avoidable.
So, you lean heavily on the whole GPS tracking thing. Now, dismissing the guard shack logs. I've been accused of not knowing how UPS works after 40 years. I guess it is debatable. The whole pestering thing was a(apparently) long warning sign(that you fixed by staying off property)(that got you fired). Let's say....mgt could "see" you 500 feet away sitting there, GPS won't have anything to do with it. Those guard logs(that you dismiss) could be the written record. See? No? Ok. There are cameras everywhere. Everywhere. Dismiss those too?
I have heard stories about people being fired. Most have a common theme. Many have something like "I didn't know" or "I was just..."
Like: "I was just going to the bathroom.....and just happened to play a slot machine....what's the big deal?"(True story). Lot's of folks get fired for habitual behavior. Patterns. Or glaring gaps of time. Something like that. Like being somewhere where you aren't supposed to be. It attracts attention. GPS might be used initially but can be discarded later(like in your case). No? Ok. Just my observations through the years.
Will you get your job back? Probably. With pay? Who really knows? It isn't certain. I'm actually on your side. Now, if you would have asked me for advice, I would have gotten a witnessed mgt take at the very beginning.....being sure what they say and the job leg description and your actions all match. It's not really that hard. Remembering that mgt doesn't care about the quality of your meal. What is interesting-you want to go back to this run.....knowing all this.
There is a guy in my feeder dept. that is constantly writing all manner of stuff down: what he pulled, when he pulled it, miles etc. Big notebook. Blah blah. Why? Something happened somewhere(getting him fired). Me? I just punch in and go to work. My wife asked me last night: "See your paycheck?" Me: "Nope." Well, it was extra big because we had bad weather last week and I spent many extra hours on the clock. Lesson? Pretty simple Do what it takes to stay off their radar(GPS). Having a problem with your run? Find a solution condoned by mgt. Or get another run. If and when you get your job back(I really hope so), learn from this and go back to work. You can be angry(it's ok)(but won't help)(vindictive but it sure won't help). Eventually you'll figure out that being angry and vindictive all time just makes you angry and nasty. Not a good way to go through life. Ask me how I know.....
