My husband is a FT package car driver. In August 2020 he got an off the clock DUI. He immediately reported it to his supervisors within 24 hours. He was referred to the ASAP program and returned to driving within 3 weeks as his license was only restricted, not suspended. He has finished his government probation but has still been random testing for the past 18 months for UPS. He dropped a dirty for the first time end of March 2022. Termination letter came this past Wednesday as we knew it would. Grievance was filed yesterday. There is no loophole to stand on as far as the Master Handbook goes. It will strictly be fought on the basis of he made a mistake.
My husband has been with the company for 11 years, 8 of those as a FT driver. He has never filed a grievance before and has only been written up twice in those 11 years for little things that have to do with delivering. Scanning something wrong or something like that. I spoke with his steward yesterday and he said that there is not one person, union employee or supervisor, that wants to see him gone. Everyone loves him. He works hard and is good at his job. However, Article 35 is pretty clear. You can drop a dirty one time if you random test for DOT, but not if you're in the aftercare program. And his rehabilitation services through UPS happened right in the thick of Covid. He never even got to go in and see a counselor, it was all over the phone.
So my question is, will they make an exception because it's been 18 months of testing and has had no issues until now? Because he's a good employee? Because he's human and made a mistake? Something like 85% of people relapse in the first year of getting sober. He made it 18 months. Its was a mistake and he knows it. We are scared to death. He has his first meeting coming up in a week and steward said nothing will happen there, it will be moved up to the next level meeting. Could they give him one more chance based on his history or do they 100% have to follow protocol in the book, even if they don't want to fire him, and there is absolutely zero chance he'll go back to UPS in any capacity?
And before I get lectured, I know he messed up. I know it's his fault, and so does he.