The good, the bad, and the ugly

[ellid]

The good: Sage Park Middle School demo went very well. Saw friends, opened a few eyes about medieval quilting, and got more work done on blue silk Turkish coat.

Also, received invitation to put my name down as a possible speaker at Alumnae College at some point in the future. Did so since they sure don't have anyone else to give a lecture on medieval quilts. ;)

The bad: taxes. *ugh* Thanks to my friend B, who works at H&R Block, and her supervisor, what was going to be a very hefty bill indeed has been carved down to merely disgusting. It was all thanks to the executrix fee from Betty's estate, and if I hadn't gone to several conferences/donated my old car to charity, I would have really been in trouble. Thank God for itemization, says I.

The ugly: the office manager *yelled* at me over something very trivial at 4:15 this afternoon. Yes, I'm documenting. And if she does it again, I'm calling my shop steward and asking if maybe it's time to a file a grievance.

Also, at the staff meeting yesterday we were informed that we've been wrong all these years and no, we do *not* get 15 minute breaks every morning and afternoon. All we get is bathroom time and half an hour for lunch. Anything else comes out of personal or vacation time, including breaks. I'm not sure this is legal, and a co-worker who also remembers the old days of 3-4 years ago is checking her old copy of the contract.

*shudders*

Comments

[incidental-fire.livejournal.com]

Re: Ugly - I'd definitely check both the contract and the labor laws, because I'm pretty sure the Department of Labor standards are two 15-minute breaks and 1/2 hour lunch if you work a 6+ hour shift. So assuming you're not just working a half-day...yeah. So even if your contract says just lunch and bathroom time, I don't think it's legal.

[girlygothic.livejournal.com]

Hmm... that was my recollection as well, but in a quick (out of curiousity) search of the M.G.L., I haven't been able to find any mention of it.

I would suggest giving the DET a call, and see what they say.

[craftykim.livejournal.com]

It would shock me if it wasn't. It's ther standard everywhere I've been.

[craftykim.livejournal.com]

http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=cagoterminal&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Workplace+Rights&L2=Wage+and+Hour&sid=Cago&b=terminalcontent&f=workplace_meal_breaks&csid=Cago

According to OAG, there's only one 30 minute meal break under state law.

[lady-jade-01.livejournal.com]

According to OSHA:

"Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks work-time that must be paid. Unauthorized extensions of authorized work breaks need not be counted as hours worked when the employer has expressly and unambiguously communicated to the employee that the authorized break may only last for a specific length of time, that any extension of the break is contrary to the employer's rules, and any extension of the break will be punished.

Bona fide meal periods (typically lasting at least 30 minutes), serve a different purpose than coffee or snack breaks and, thus, are not work time and are not compensable."

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm

[craftykim.livejournal.com]

It will depend on the contract, but if they're not in the contact and decide to no longer offer them, they aren't in violation of state or federal law.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure you're guaranteed a half hour lunch and two 15-minute breaks, or combination thereof, provided you work a minimum of 6? 7? hours.

[mechaieh.livejournal.com]

Regardless of what's legal or not, it sounds petty and mean to me. And if trimming payroll costs is that critical, there are ways to present it to the staff other than they've "been wrong all these years."

On a happier note, yay for blue silk. :-)

[craftykim.livejournal.com]

Well, management has never sounded good at this place. XD

[baronessmartha.livejournal.com]

report all to the union steward. The union has all of hte contracts, present and past, and the power to hold the management to them.

Are you still looking for jobs? Keep looking.

Yelling in the workplace is a hostile action. Report it Monday to the Steward. It does not matter what you did that she was yelling about, but report that anyway.

also, I am off April 21. Can I has fart day at your place of employment?

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I did report the break thing to the shop steward. I've been documenting everything this woman does and will present it to the union in the near future. I'm also going to go straight to HR and file a complaint if/when she yells at me again. Regardless of whether I reacted too quickly to her request, her response was completely inappropriate, especially since there were clients and clinicians a few feet away.

[orphandani.livejournal.com]

http://www.mytoxicboss.com/

*HUGS*