Leaving Union May Be Unwise

Q: I work hard at an aluminum- and plastic-container manufacturing company. Our union recently voted to increase our eight-hour shifts to 12 hours. The union runs things at the plant - and I dislike what it does, so I am going to leave my job. Do you think all union manufacturing jobs are going to have 12-hour shifts?

A: Each union has its own officers, membership and rules. Leaving your job won’t necessarily solve your problem. Generally, leaving a job before you have a new job may force you to accept the unacceptable simply because you need the money.

Switching unions quickly may be difficult and the wait could cause you to be unemployed longer than you expect. If you succeed in joining another union with job opportunities, it may have other rules or policies you don’t like. Or you may end up in a non-union company that demands long days and offers fewer employee benefits than you receive now.

Chancellor belittles employee’s demand for redress

Q: Over the past year, our daughter’s supervisor verbally harassed and intimidated her. When she made an appointment with the university’s human resource department, her supervisor found out about it and fired her. HR paid her more than a month’s salary and said it would help her transfer to another department, but hasn’t let her interview for anything.

Our daughter then met with the school chancellor, who told her to “ask your dad for advice and get on with your life.” She found out that the supervisor gave her a negative review. He, too, has since left the department. Our daughter asked to see her personnel file and the school balked at the request. What can she do?

A: The chancellor’s comment to your daughter sounds like it was intended to intimidate her and belittle her ability to handle the problem on her own. Your daughter is entitled to her personnel file once she furnishes the school a written request, but to deal successfully with this type of person, you may need to hire an attorney.

Taking revenge on cursing colleague was inappropriate

Q: I am the director of information systems. I was called to the company’s buyer’s office to fix a printer problem that my staff was not able to resolve. When I entered his office, he began cursing and yelling. I asked about the problem, but he wouldn’t answer and continued swearing profusely.

I told him that I will not be verbally abused like that and that I was shutting down his printer and access to the system. He shouted back that he pays my salary and that he would tell the CFO that I refused to fix the problem. I stood my ground and did not allow him to access the system.

I explained the situation to the CFO, who did nothing. I said I would not accept this double standard of treatment among executives. How can I find some course of legal action against the company?

A: The buyer’s hissy fit was unprofessional, but your solution of revenge was also inappropriate. Cutting off his system access cuts off his ability to work. You were there to solve the problem, and although cursing is offensive, it sounds like it may have been a one-time event due to the frustration of unsolved technical difficulties.

Your staff should have explained the problem to you before you went to check it out. On entering his office, you could have apologized for your staff’s inability to correct the situation and assured him you’d work on it right away. James V. O’Connor, in his book “Cuss Control” (Three Rivers Press, $12.95), tells how various companies have handled employees who curse, on both a onetime and continual basis.