Workers Could Be Jailed for Refusing Overtime

[@peachesrambo4037]

When you don't have the right to say "No", that is slavery.

[@stonep11]

I am sure the Reddit post is full of people attacking this as some capitalist thing. Like no combination of force and government could ever be seen as a capitalism (or really free-markets).

[@JamesSmith-jq2jc]

We are slaves. We are DEBT slaves. Bless our world banking systems for this, and those they puppeteer.

[@Jane-Roe1126]

We're all slaves please read the Spanish Requirement. You'll be very surprise at who is responsible for slavery.

[@lcarus42]

Canada is socialist converting to communism

[@Archone666]

@@stonep11 A combination of government, force, and corporations together? That's textbook fascism. REAL fascism, not "everyone I disagree with is literally Hitler." Fascist economies tend to be highly corporatist, with strong ties between government and corporations.

[@mugen3603]

Being short-staffed and then having your workers jailed for refusing overtime seems like a self-defeating endeavor.

[@cjsteadman6217]

It's Canada. That explains everything.

[@aethertoast4320]

Even as bad as Canada is I would expect this from a more Socialist/Communist country than Canada.

[@Dave-ty2qp]

I'll have to admit that some thngs in Canada do confuse me. The metric system, the Ad-volorum tax, mayonaise on hamburgers, and the parlimentary form of government. Not to mention their Charter of rights only being suggestions that the government doesn't have to comply with. Thanks for the explanation Steve. Now I'm ---- still confused. Jailed because you don't work overtime.

[@mugen3603]

Thousands of dollars wasted on legal fees, and for nothing. They should've just given those guys the bonus like everyone else. That would have probably solved all their problems. But these cheapskates would rather waste thousands on litigation instead. Smart. Lots of intelligent people in leadership positions working there. 😒

[@MonkeyJedi99]

The beatings will continue until morale improves!

[@ctg6734]

I guarantee if I worked for a company that threatened jail time for refusing overtime, I'd be going to jail for far worse than refusing overtime.

[@lunchtimelaborhour]

Preach

[@paullilly-b5o]

The head office might have some work related injuries...Steve said it's a dangerous job.

[@Scriptorsilentum]

No. Shit. in my country mgmt and business know full well pulling stunts like this is a good way to accidentally get pushed off a road by a semi. And yes, accidents like this have happened.

[@mwfmtnman]

Right with you brother.

[@saltyolbroad2962]

I would quit! I ain't workin for some company that threatens me with jail! F them! 😂😂

[@tardisrider25]

People need to quit their jobs more often. Companies are too comfortable thinking we need them more than they need us.

[@FP65]

Exactly

[@torakfett3351]

My husband’s job takes advantage of him ALL THE TIME. He works most weekends, and he’s on salary so he makes no extra money. I hate it, we have no family time.

[@tardisrider25]

@@torakfett3351I know how that is It's hard to say no when you have to in some jobs. I had to learn to put family first. But it's not easy because we live in a society programmed to be afraid of not being yes people. Even when it becomes clear a company will drop you like a bad habit, we are pressured to show "loyalty" to the company. I would not be too harsh on him, it's gotta be hard for him too. But I would still ask him to consider what he is sacrificing, and why. Your life together is today. I wouldn't want that to pass you guys by for a company that will never appreciate it in the end.

[@Aquatarkus96]

Also, workers need to wreck their machines when the employer fucks up. Either that, or employees need to coerce their bosses into playing nicely through threts against the bosses and their families The problem today is corporations and bosses fuck around but never get to find out.

[@tardisrider25]

@@Aquatarkus96 Umm, did you have a bad day at work recently or something? You went down a whole other path with this.

[@warmasher]

Quitting will make that court order null and void.

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

Bro .quitting won't be allowed. It might also be another jailable offense

[@trickpony409]

@@imbalancedstatus8824 ... or revolt ... which is warranted ... forced labor is slavery under any ORDER ...

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

@@trickpony409 Well they signed up to the contract.

[@aidanm5578]

@@imbalancedstatus8824That’s not how this works. The contract said 40 hours a week.

[@Greg-il3lq]

Just stay on break at work evertime you go in until they fire you.

[@VictoriaHarper-j6v]

An old electrician we called "Dutch" refused to do mandatory saturdays at my former GM truck plant. After the third time, he was called into Labor Relations office. They said, "We are giving you a week off as discipline on your record, but since we're short, we're going to let you work the whole week. He said, "Nope, if I'm getting a week suspension, I'll go get my coat, lunchbox, and I'll see you in a week." He said they tore up all the paperwork, and told him forget the disciplinary action, just go back to work. My hero!

[@dovebair]

HR doesn’t work for the workers… this kind of “creative paperwork” behavior makes me so mad!

[@flguy6807]

@@dovebair HR works for the business. Only when the company violates a policy or law does HR pretend to help the employee. This is done to shield the business from liability. Ie, sexual harassment etc.

[@Scorecatron]

I guess Dutch had a plan all along

[@skillethead15]

I wonder if any of these stupid companies thought that if they just pay their guys better they could remedy the situation. With this scaffolding company or that hospital. The employees are doing this because they are being treated unfairly. But instead of just deciding to treat them fairly, these bozos go straight to court trying to force employees to work. It’s beyond stupid. Pay these guys their overtime and all the bs ends. Managers and business owners are some of the dumbest people I swear.

[@bikiniluvnguy1]

That was the same crap they pulled on our city mail carrier, they suspended her for a week for something, but said she had to come in and work through it since they didnt have anyone else.

[@UsagiArwen]

The moment I am told I have to either forcibly accept overtime or face jail, I'm tendering my resignation. And I'll tell all my buddies not to take this job.

[@mikethomas860]

Highly doubt that. At the end of the day you have to pay bills. Unless you have another job lined up, then you ain't leaving.

[@UsagiArwen]

@@mikethomas860 that's your opinion. I stand by what I said.

[@kipkipper-lg9vl]

​@@mikethomas860that's why you are a cuck, if I have to sleep in my car for a while to maintain my human dignity then that's ok

[@mugthemagpie3001]

You cannot face jail time if the law interpretation conflicts with any other law. This is the case here. The court order is basically void on arrival and enforcing it would be basically illegal. Unless Canada has way different law order, where law interpretation goes above all other laws, what smells dictatorship.

[@UsagiArwen]

@@mugthemagpie3001 you should see some of the stuff Canada has already done that would make any US attorney cringe.

[@paulwilson2651]

I don't care what a court says if I want to leave I'll leave.

[@billalumni7760]

As a worker that has to go up and down the scaffolding, there's nothing that puts more confidence in me as knowing that the person responsible for my safety is really pissed off and disgruntled.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

@@Taladar2003 Ten hours at 90 degrees would have me blasted in body and mind. And this story is about somebody's dad doing this, so it's not a youngster with naturally far higher physical resources and ability to heal and freshen up on a single night's sleep.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

@@pgpluss1076 Even 90 degrees sitting around is unpleasant, but doing physical labor makes it feel like 110.

[@sboloshis1188]

Or sleep deprived by lack of sleep.

[@darrelwright7343]

I build scaffolding and I wouldn't work. And u are spot on with that comment. Not to mention Safety, no extra bonus money then if u do get time and half or double time u get put in a stupid tax bracket. So basically u work all that overtime just to give it to the government. I hate working OT cause they take 1k to 1500 in taxes it's stupid.

[@firmfire2385]

Worked outside at a tire shop this whole past week, my boss is honestly a reallt good guy, im a hard worker so i try to do a lot, anytime my boss would see me overly sweating or have this "look" on my face he would tell me take a break and sit in front of AC and hed bring mr some ice water, and made sure to say thank you and how much he appreciated me coming in during these hot days, and iv noticed hes raised my pay. Absolutely love my boss, he also just gave me a bunch of new shirts, I'm talking like almost 60 because he noticed I've been coming in wearing the same clothes ( would rather by my family clothes than myself) I swear this man is a truly GOOD person.

[@michaelbean2478]

It seems the "owners" are confused...they seem to think they own the workers...Um, slavery is illegal. I lost a job for refusing to do dangerous tasks that were never part of the job I was hired to do...legal settlements rock!

[@stephanreiken9912]

Tell that to the Canada Court that disagrees

[@Hangman105]

Canada has become a authortarian goverment. They dont care anymore.

[@rhoonah5849]

My son took a welding job and in his first week, the boss told him to go up an aluminum ladder, outside, in the rain to do some welding. He did it and got shocked pretty bad and had to jump off the ladder from about 10'. The boss told him to go back up and he did (he is young and wasn't sure what to do). He got shocked again and then refused to go back up so the boss sent someone else up. He came over later that night to get some advice and I told him to be ready to be told to do the same thing the next day and to refuse to do it and to ask if there was anything else he could do but to be ready to quit on the spot. The next day, it continued to rain and the boss told him to go finish that job. He took my advice, was told "this is the job" and simply quit and walked off the site. You're right, companies think they own you and the job is more important than your safety.

[@fenixiliusstrife1253]

@@stephanreiken9912 Which will be swiftly corrected now that it is in the public. No way this will fly.

[@husher5142]

slavery is illegal in the USA, not in canada (legally speaking). In the USA people cannot be ordered to work, in Canada you can

[@kenshafer4788]

I was fired last Thursday for refusing to work a 16 hour shift with 8 by myself on a roof in a snowstorm for zero compensation.

[@justinkendollrozinek]

That's illegal in the US

[@patrickbuick5459]

It sounds like you are better off IMHO.

[@ent1311]

Find a lawyer. Don't just let it slide.

[@RealPackCat]

An employer cannot force you to work non-compensated hours if you are an hourly employee. I believe Walmart and Target got in trouble for this a while back.

[@Scriptorsilentum]

do you mean an employer can force you to work OT and not pay for those hours of labour? in other words you get paid for 8 hrs and then you have to work a few more hours without being paid give the company free work? is my understanding correct? @@RealPackCat

[@larrystead8477]

I worked out in Alberta as a carpenter and scaffolder, most of us are 55 and older, we have to climb,and walk on steel beams, and in and around vessels and pipe racks, very tiring after 10 hours, management couldn't do this job at all, and younger people won't do this job at all. So much for respect, for a highly skilled, dangerous job

[@Cre8tvMG]

Some of us respect you. I’d much prefer we jail the management and the judge in this case.

[@pickledragonrebel]

Agreed, they couldn't care less about the employees that make all their money. Disgusting😊

[@radoslawpietrukaniec6156]

Young people want to work, companies won't hire them.

[@Deamons64]

Young people are more than willing to do the work. None of the older generation of workers are willing to teach them because they aren't ALREADY on the level of someone who's been doing this for 30 years.

[@tonyk4615]

100% right about the court order. I was in a situation recently where someone from my state government was ordering me to do something because there was a court order that I comply. I told her that I would comply once she showed me the court order. She got very angry with me and ghosted me for several weeks before admitting to me that there was no court order. Oops…

[@stephanbranczyk8306]

Did you have that request in writing? Because making up lies about a non-existent court order sounds to me like it should be a crime of some kind.

[@youtubestudiosucks978]

@@stephanbranczyk8306 arent all court orders in whriting? His boss could just send him a copy through the mail or something. It barely cost anything to copy something and most offices have printers so get bent.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@youtubestudiosucks978 I think you missed something in your reading of the two comments before yours.

[@MrJonsonville5]

@@youtubestudiosucks978 your reading comprehension is severely lacking haha.

[@MrJonsonville5]

That's a funny story, during those few weeks between when you asked to see it and her admitting that there's no court order, you know she probably tried to get one, or I could picture her at home with an ink jet printer trying to forge an order before giving up hahaha.

[@seth7745]

I remember being forced to work 14-16 hour shifts regularly while a military aviation technician. The last hours of my shift i was pretty much useless due to fatigue and lack of focus. It makes more sense to just hire more people.

[@OpenCarryUSMC]

Marine aviation Ordnance here. 36 hour shift on the end of the Iwakuni Japan flight line loading war reserve (live) missiles. 4 hours off to hit the chow hall and take a shower then 24 more hour loading (and since we didn’t shoot any Ruskies in the DMZ over Korea we had to download them after every flight as well. We did get cat naps and rotated a few to longer bunk times but it was all at the end of the runway (100 yards to the side of the takeoff end) It was rough, we slowed way down after the first 16 hours, even more after 24. By 36 it was brutal. Gave me a great excuse to park the hydraulic loader on a pesky warrant officer from Groups foot though and stay on it until the missile was locked on. Lol Hey MY warrant told me to do it and he’s go back to the office. Just following orders. Studies show that productivity starts dropping after an 8 hour shift with 1/2 hour for lunch.

[@chromolitho]

seth7745, Hmmm, that 'just' in last sentence. I didn't know it was that easy.

[@ryanryan838]

Fun fact according to FFA regs noone is allowed to touch an aircraft after 12 hours on shift this includes military there was a big deal about it a couple years ago after an airman fell off the top of an A10 after working a 16.

[@labla8940]

@@OpenCarryUSMC I was on the Runway in Iwakuni 4 hour shifts 24 on 24 off, Crash Crew 80- 81

[@stellaluuk2713]

IBM did a study showing people are more productive working an 8hr shift, past that productivity drops.

[@jonathonpion2042]

Here is where I have a problem. The court deciding that voluntary overtime is now no longer that.

[@christopherkidwell9817]

Yeah... that court decision is nonsense and would be overturned on appeal.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@High Lord Baron and that clause should be illegal to begin with

[@johnme7049]

@@SonsOfLorgar Take note people, This is what happens when we let the rich decree that the unions are evil.

[@mugthemagpie3001]

I don't understand that even, because in the EU law interpretations (that's what court order is) cannot be in violation with any law, otherwise it is totally not applicable by any legal means due to violation of law(s).

[@ColonelMarcellus]

Employers have so much money that they can buy off the government.

[@kennethdevault6636]

Put me in jail... You don't own me. Your work won't be getting done

[@pickledragonrebel]

Bullseye

[@Abenteuerlich77]

Or show up for OT and sit on your thumbs. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

[@streetcop157]

I worked in a correctional facility with minimum staffing requirements. I went to leave and was told I couldn’t because call ins had left them below the statutory minimum. They refused to buzz me out of the gate. I had worked a double the night before and then had 8 hours off before my regular shift, there was no way I was volunteering to work 32 out of 40 hours. I informed the commander who told me he couldn’t let me leave or they would be breaking the law. When I left in the morning my first call was to the state police. There was an investigation, harsh words and a strongly worded memo. The commander was encouraged to find employment elsewhere. I submitted my resignation the same day, no notice. I was provided with a significant green apology with all my vacation pay, comp time and even sick time paid.

[@norezenable]

That's false imprisonment. People could have gone to prison over that.

[@streetcop157]

@@norezenable that was exactly my position. I was held unlawfully in state prison for 8 hours…..had I had access to a phone during my shift I would have left with a trooper. That point was made very clear up and down the chain of command. I was contacted by the cabinet’s attorneys while the state police were still on the grounds. I gave them my attorneys number and we were able to reach an amicable settlement….basically the best paying overtime I ever worked.

[@corvettebob96]

I worked with a girl that did home health care for assisted living as a 2nd job.. The person is not allowed to leave until the next employee arrives or they are charged with neglect. She was fired from our company because she was constantly forced to stay over because the next shift called in.

[@cousinles80]

I do maintenance on group homes run by the state. If one of the direct care staff get mandated because of a call in and they don't stay they will get charged with neglect and could possibly go to jail.

[@ellsworth1956]

@@cousinles80 Then they should quit. Its is not their job to address staffing and scheduling.

[@jdlech]

This always puzzled me. This is not the first time something like this has happened. People en masse refusing some demand made upon them. So they are all threatened with jail time. But who is going to comply with the demand if they're all in jail? Who does the work when all the workers are in jail?

[@frankgriffin6293]

It's a power trip from management. All the workers should have said we quit. Kind of hard to get over time from a former worker.

[@robertshiell887]

The workers should simply call their bluff. If management acted on their threat the court’s would rip the employer a new one!

[@wendellgreen1633]

WOW THIS AMAZES ME BECAUSE IN ANY OTHER SETTING ITS ILLEGAL TO RETALIATE AGAINST EMPLOYEES WHO STAND UP FOR THEIR RIGHTS NOW IT SEEMS TO BE OK TO DO SO...OH BECAUSE ITS IN FAVOR OF MANAGEMENT! WHY DONT YOU JUST OFFER THE SAME BOUNS MONEY TO THE SCAFFOLD WORKERS AND YOU WONT HAVE THIS PROBLEM!

[@wendellgreen1633]

​@@frankgriffin6293YES I AGREE AND GIVE THE MANAGEMENT THE MIDDLE FINGER ON THE WAY OUT THE DOOR!

[@bryanx5829]

​@@robertshiell887yeah right probably like 10 years ago, the federal government is in bed with corporations. How many times have entire neighborhoods been sold off and the residents kicked out of their own homes for a warehouse. Alot of times they dont even build it, it just turns inti abandoned buildings.

[@Corvid-]

Imprisonment seems like an idle threat. "Work more or we will throw you all in jail where you will not work at all."

[@RoyArrowood]

I'm sure a for profit prison will be happy to fill the employment contract 🤣

[@Relkond]

Depending on the jail, they may be forced to pay for their stay in jail…

[@HiEv001]

While going through with such a threat would mean that the company is shooting themselves in the foot, from the employee's point of view, it's just the employee getting shot. The company is simply hoping that that threat will be enough to prevent the employees from calling their bluff. That said, the whole situation is a giant foot-bullet, since they're just inspiring people to quit, which is only going to make things worse.

[@Ozzy_2014]

@General Civility contempt of court I imagine.

[@fenixiliusstrife1253]

@@Ozzy_2014 Yeah, I do not think so. I think that is hot air. No court would ever in their right mind do that, they would tell the company they need to terminate them and move on with those proceedings. Telling your boss to go fuck themselves is not contempt. Never has been never will be.

[@NDcompetitiveshooter]

That hospital situation still gets me. How does a judge think they can just order anything they want as long as they think it is prudent? Especially when the order is blatantly against the law. That is judicial tyranny. I would not have obeyed that order and the judge should be removed. If the hospital was concerned about not being able to care for their patients, the judge should remind them that there is now another well-staffed hospital in town they can be transferred to.

[@sd5919]

It's judicial tyranny but this channel always makes excuses for it. We now know that courts don't know what 'at will' or 'voluntary' mean. Nothing to respect here.

[@Ministry_Of_Silly_Walks]

Judges have too much power and not enough consequences for abuse

[@darbyohara]

The judges are tyrants who don’t understand the single most important job they have is upholding the civil rights of the individual

[@Katrn30]

As an RN in New Brunswick, Canada, we would be short staffed in the summers due to vacations. We would be forced to work overtime and were threatened with “abandoning our patients” which could result in losing our licence, possible arrest…and definitely with losing our job. I was getting sick one time, and was looking forward to going home and going to bed. I was forced to stay overtime despite being sick. Others would have tickets to concerts, and were forced to work and miss their events. The stress of the job was hard enough, but the threat of being forced to stay at work despite being exhausted, sick, or previous plans, added huge stress. I know when I was retired and they were calling for us to come out of retirement to offer our services during the pandemic, I remembered every mean thing they did to us and happily gave them the finger about helping them out!

[@familhagaudir8561]

I have family that left to work as a nurse in Switzerland. She thought about commong back after private agencies were allowed and she could pick how many hours she would work. During a vacation last year she asked what the fuck happened to the place, it's like we got invaded, and she would not come back.

[@ChiceJigle]

I'm a bit of a workaholic so I dont mind OT. More moolah for me. But I always make two things abundantly clear to prospective employers: I dont call in unless I'm deathly ill, which never happens and if I request a day off, I'm taking that day off. Ill try to swap a shift with someone or find someone who wants some OT, but if I put in for time off, which *might* be one or two days per year, I am taking them and calling in if its denied.

[@Katrn30]

@@ChiceJigle I loved my job, but I loved being a mother more. When my employer started demanding more than we agreed upon, many of us got pissed. Also we were forced to work hours that were not safe…as nurses we need to be sharp because lives depend on it. When my son was little, my priority was him, not making as much money as I could. We were bullied and threatened…it was hell.

[@ChiceJigle]

@@Katrn30 I can imagine. My mom works in mental health security and the hospital she works at was having staffing issue due to covid scaring a lot of employees off. She was working doubles 4 days per week and somehow it didn't lead to a complete burn out.

[@1971sls]

Well, you guys get what you voted for with all that communist crap!

[@TmOnlineMapper]

Court orders are one thing. Court orders that violate human rights (you have the right to not be forced to work) just because a company throws a hissy fit, is beyond insane to me. Like this isn't like in the hospital case, where the workers were not allowed to work in the other hospital (but they were not forced to continue to work for the other and were compensated later for the missed labor, if I remember correctly), these people are forced to work "voluntary overtime" at the threat of being jailed if they refuse. That's straight up a human right's violation in the form of a court order...

[@bradleywhais7779]

Its arguably slavery.

[@Exis247]

​@bradleywhais7779 it most certainly is slavery

[@markarca6360]

Misuse of the legal system

[@snidecommenter7117]

Bullshit article. Anyone can make any threat they want. Can't make it stick.

[@justins340]

Canada is doing that a lot lately.

[@Dit1160]

I worked at a small nursing facility a number of years ago. A new nurse manager was hired at one point. She felt that she could mandate nurses to a shift without a minutes notice. One nurse was fired for refusing because had no child care arranged and refused.I saw the writing on the wall and had my doctor write me a “no overtime” note ( because I had sprained my knee a year before and I complained that an 8 hour shift was all I could manage). Within a week more than half the nurses all had doctor ordered “ no overtime” notes. This was a small town in WV and I think each of us used the same doctor. When MS. Nurse manager had to do floor work she threw a fit and quit. Problem solved.

[@jasonmajere2165]

I will never understand ego power trips. If they were in the ditches they would be complaining too.

[@gorkyd7912]

These middle management positions where you have to schedule workers while being held to account to hospital admins who only see numbers are some of the most stressful jobs on earth. Nursing is really hard because you get tons of new grads who know nothing but within 5 years half of them are married and only want to work part-time, so you either have unexperienced or part time workers, especially now that the electronic charting and mandated inocs pushed out all the old empty-nesters. Anyway, it should be required that the middle manager doesn't need the money, doesn't care about being fired, and will never get scared if a hospital admin screams at her because the idea that a bunch of part timers and new grads can always meet staffing requirements is insane.

[@GilmerJohn]

Generally speaking, management can't pull the rug out from under workers. For example, a change in working conditions is usually "constructive dismissal" by which I mean the worker is still entitled to unemployment.

[@momkatmax]

They tried to have five unexcused absences and your fired policy at our hospital. It backfired because nurses were sick with the flu and were showing up to work in NICU. Parents were outraged. The policy was phased out.

[@junebyrne4491]

Canada is getting frightening.

[@1971sls]

Getting??? It's past that, Canada is under a dictatorship!

[@mikes9759]

I think it's spreading!!

[@RobotronSage]

More like ridiculous

[@tabithawilks4434]

They’ve been frightening since World War I dude

[@jointedlimb]

dude it sucks here.

[@ChrisR2020]

"Oh, you are going to jail me if I don't work the overtime? Cool, how about if I resign, effective immediately?"

[@Jamhael1]

Or it could take this turn: "Oh no! Somehow this heavy blunt object fell upon the company owner's HEAD when I was merely doing my job! Well, hear me out: MAYBE this is what we call 'divine intervention' because the owner demanded that we must make overtime under duress, and I as a good employee, I obeyed, but the exhaustion and the heat, and the bills, and my kid at home that I forgot in the oven and the crying food sick in the crib, and my wife desperate to buy a new Gucci poolguy while annoying me to hire someone to clean the purse... times are hard, man!"

[@whitesquirrel4131]

if you can be jailed for refusing overtime, how do you figure they will just say "og shoot ya got me there" holy crap you people are witless SLAVERY

[@ChrisR2020]

@whitesquirrel4131 So tell me, what would you do? Work the overtime? Go to jail on principal? Continue working for your slave master? Obviously, quitting is a necessary part of whatever you do in the wake of this. You're obviously not going to continue working for someone who would attempt to subvert the law so as to literally enslave you... Furthermore, no matter how twisted the legal system might be to try and enforce such an absurd scenario, it still has to at least pretend to be doing things appropriately. This step adds additional hurdles to that pretense. They might be able to BS their way into giving some semblance of an argument for why you're too necessary to be allowed to turn down the overtime, but if you quit, and also go on an out of state vacation, then what? Now they have to rely on another state to extradite you so you can be unconstitutionally forced to work for a company you're no longer even legally employed by. Yea, I am super sure the state you purposefully picked to be unlikely to go for this is just going to jump at the opportunity to send you back... But hey, you're more than welcome to pose what you woukd do differently. Because for all your criticism, I noticed you didn't even put forward any solution, you only try to tear others down. Do you think that productive? Do you think it intelligent?

[@loraroark3327]

Make them fire you...wrongful termination....in the states, you may be able to draw unemployment...dunno how that is in Canada. If they want to black all you....there should be a non compete clause at hiring...imo

[@smokedbeefandcheese4144]

that's illegal now too

[@choccolocco]

I was once told, “if enough ppl don’t sign up for voluntary OT, they’ll make everyone come in.” What they really meant was “if everyone doesn’t ‘volunteer’ for OT, everyone will be forced to.” That slimy effort to make ppl think they actually had a choice…

[@calculator1841]

I left a company that ordered mandatory overtime. I left. I'm not a slave.

[@noconsentgiven]

You do have another choice, find another job....its always work somewhere.

[@choccolocco]

@@noconsentgiven Oh sure, I could have just left 40+K job and found another that pairs the same…. If I did that, I couldn’t go into the same field because of proprietaries immediately, I had to wait 5 years to do so…..

[@kevmasengale6903]

@@choccolocco your choice..... You chose to stay there. You could leave at anytime you want..... You just can't admit that you don't want to sacrifice for what you want.

[@davidhollenshead4892]

@@choccolocco Understood, you can't always quit. When I senior in high school and living on my own in a Honda Civic, then an unfinished basement, and then a summer sublet I delivered pizza for Dominos Pizza. When my manager realized that I was not just earning spending money, but was a 17-year-old paying for housing, food, etc. he started requiring me to work until the store closed and he started charging me $20 per night for his "beer money". He also threatened me with "I can just tell future employers that you stole from the company" should I get another job. When I tried to talk to Eugene Belknap who owned the franchise that I was being charged $20 for beer money per night, he said "Your kind is lucky to have a job" and walked off to his Porsche painted to look like a Domino's Pizza delivery car. [The "your kind" was apparently about my appearance as I'm of European & Native Ancestry...]

[@vicpetrishak7705]

A new judicial system should be developed , THE COURT OF COMMON SENSE !

[@RobotronSage]

Hear hear!

[@michaelrudolph7003]

The demand they made was flawed but their reasoning was actually common sense. They are acting as an organized union without following the proper procedures to be recognized to act as such. The court can't force them to take voluntary overtime shifts but it can force them to stop coordinating, or to actually form a proper union before doing so. That is the command that the court should offer. They need to line out what the coordinating activities they must not engage in and also define what they can do that is legal.

[@freddielind5282]

👏 👏 👏 👏 👏

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Sounds more like newspeak for indenture/slavery to me...

[@Bruski68.]

I'd have immediately quit, if anyone threatened me, to try to make me work overtime, when I didn't want to, life's too short, to work for people that would do that, to an employee.

[@familhagaudir8561]

I only work unplanned hours on demand for my current employer which otherwise lets me pick my work hours. It's great. Been there for over a decade. Return the favor to those who treat you well... or wrong.

[@VictoriaHarper-j6v]

If you accept this treatment, wait until you see what's coming tomorrow.

[@JohnS-il1dr]

​@@VictoriaHarper-j6vbe careful on how much you tolerate, because you are teaching them how they will treat you. I learned this the hard way.

[@bitsnpieces11]

One place I worked (a city employer) had a rule about working when drunk/intoxicated at all. So when people were called to come in and work overtime they didn't want to they just said 'Oh I just finished a beer.' And that ended ANY ATTEMPT to get them to work since if they had an accident (real or fake) it would ABSOLUTELY BE THE FAULT OF MANAGEMENT.

[@RicardoSantos-oz3uj]

That's a good strategy.

[@jillgott6567]

Great solution to the problem. That and don't answer the phone

[@Max_Chooch]

Wish that were true, but, if you get in an accident, they're not going to point the finger at your boss.

[@cassiespencer6134]

"Finished a beer"? I would've said I just finished a bottle of Jack Daniel's. >:}

[@retmarut4499]

I'm not sure if a bottle of Jack wouldn't have implications for the next day.

[@LRSS2455]

I’ve been a scaffold builder (Scaffold Carpenter) for 25 years (1993-2008), I can tell you we were always getting screwed. The other crafts, supervision and clients think our jobs were unskilled and they think we didn’t deserve the same as a pipe fitter or boilermaker. Granted most of the guys building scaffolds are drunks or on drugs, but that’s because their bodies are broke down and tore up. I have bad shoulders, knees, ankles and hips from carrying heavy material and climbing for 10 hours a day 6 days a week. We also never go ass time like the other crafts, we worked from the time we get there, till the end of the day. This doesn’t even count the scaffold builder who build for a boiler or tower. They will work at least 18 hours straight. If I was still on my tools and they didn’t want to give me the same per diem as the other crafts, I would give them the 1 finger wave on my way out the gate.

[@pickledragonrebel]

My husband's a carpenter and he had to climb scaffolds for his job. He fell through the scaffold to land on his feet (9 ft) he hasn't been able to work since and wsib screwed him. We finally settled after 9 yrs bc we couldn't afford to continue and settled him making 10$ an hour even though he was making 50/hr as a shop Stewart. I have nothing against the scaffolds, just those in charge of denying responsibility. My husband was also pushed past his abilities bc of long hrs and no representation.

[@painmagnet1]

C'mon, man. You can't compare a Boilermaker who basically has a doctorate in the trade or a Pipefitter who is an MBA to a scaffolder. You guys are easier to get because it's something a regular guy can get into. I'm a Millwright and I work with scaffolders all the time- they're the high school dropouts. Do you guys deserve a living wage, yes. Does a Boilermaker deserve 4x that, also yes.

[@jayjohnson7827]

I had a boss that would on friday morning make saturday mandatory overtime, fouling my weekend plans. At the forth instance I had a meeting with the boss, the plant manager and H.R. The only thing I said was 'Since I need to give you 2 weeks notice for time off, you need to give me 2 weeks notice for weekend overtime'. Policy changed three days later.

[@joeschmo622]

"Sorry, went out partying last night, got one helluva hangover, and probably am still a bit buzzed. Better have someone from work come pick me up if you want me there."

[@zerozer0z]

Like a Boss!!!

[@calebkemplay6040]

At least they had the decency to tell you in the morning and not as your leaving on Friday evening... many fishing/camping trips have been foild by the words "I forgot to mention this to you guys in the morning meeting but........."😑

[@skurdibbles7913]

I was once a member of 5 person management. I was the only one who was covering call outs and I kept having my PTO denied. I ended developing a pretty close relationship with the lp executive. We had a bonding situation and I told her what was going on......she told me to just tell them you've been drinking already and stop answering the phone, do all out of work communication through text so I have it documented. They were angling to fire the gm and asm. The gm and asm tried to discipline me and recommended me for the drug treatment plan but they had to deal with the lp executive as that store was on the high risk list. She asked if they would like to do an avg of hours worked for the past six months and open an investigation of the attendance of the management. They both were salaried for a 45 hr work wk. They were averaging 40. I was hourly averaging 45. She then asked why I had two months of PTO built up with three months left of the year and informed them she needs my help for the entire month of October and that will be down two managers for November and December. This was a retail company.....those are insanely busy months. I took two full paid months off while they kept getting written up for performance. The whole month of October I got paid like I was salaried and my mileage pay out was more than a weeks pay every 2x weeks. I rubbed that shit in their face every opportunity. I coordinated my brags on days they were getting hit with write ups. I eventually got promoted to fixer manager and got to fire the asms wife and the gms best friend as they were lazy sacks of shit too. I was such a people pleasing naive young man before that experience. I'm thankful they were all so helpful in my personal development.

[@RealPackCat]

Most decent companies try to give a heads up, usually a week before or the first day of the work week.

[@Grendelbc]

Wow. I've built a lot of scaffold in my life (USA). I've seen 2 guys from my Local fall. It ain't pretty. One was paralyzed for life. The other died. I was running a scaffold crew at a power plant one time. After a 14 hour shift I told the boss I was exhausted and so were my crew. Someone is going to get hurt. We're going home. We'll be back tomorrow. There was no retaliation. The company always asked for me when they were back at that plant. Extended overtime on a physical job is always dangerous. It's great occasionally or even for a few weeks but the human body and mind have limits. And remember, scaffold is not just potentially dangerous when you are building it. People have to work off that scaffold. A mistake in erecting it can be deadly for the workers using it after it's completed. I'd love to see those jokers on the Labor Board or the company bosses go out and do physical labor in the heat (or the freezing cold). I guarantee you they wouldn't last very long.

[@ronaldschoolcraft8654]

"We need to running full steam ahead..." Then PAY them appropriately to incentivize their effort.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

Or hire another shift and reduce shifts to 8hours..

[@FP65]

I’m American and my husband did physical labor through most of his working life. At the last 2 companies he worked for, and they are very well known, they informed him and others in his position that he had to work for free 1 to 2 days a week. It is a change that is starting to take over his industry. He told them to pound sound and went into a different profession. I totally supported him. I would rather us starve to death than him work for someone for free.

[@AprilFriday-de6vm]

I hope he also turned them in to the labor board. You can also advise any workers who stayed to document all their unpaid hours and turn those documents in to the IRS. I know of an instance in which a rancher decided his hands were required to work one extra day per week without pay during the busy season. The IRS made sure they got paid taxes for all the illegally withheld taxes, the workers got paid arrears, and the rancher had to take out loans to keep from losing his ranch. Because you can’t just not pay people!

[@darbyohara]

What kind of industry is doing that?! It’s illegal

[@Pentross]

This is an incredibly good way to prevent any scaffolders from working for them ever

[@EvilGrin]

Since my father also worked as a scaffolder, I know how "creative" these people can become with their resistance... "Boss, there has been an accident...no, no one injured, but a scaffold collapsed on your car... no, no one 'did' it, it was material fatigue due to the hot work enviroment..." "Boss, just to let you know, one of the cranes has broken down, technician will be here on monday, but your office is blocked, so if you're not jumping out of the window your weekend is canceled..." "Boss, we cannot continiue to work, all the scaffolding is mouldy ... yes, I told them that steel cannot... Sir, we're loosing money every second... oh, and the management want to see you..."

[@Snarkbar]

Exactly. Labor can *absolutely* fuck Middle Management over if they feel like it.

[@Nirrrina]

😂😁

[@Skarry]

Exactly. Don't mess with your employees. They make your money. Builders are creative with their work.

[@T25de]

We’re the people that watch you while you sleep Don’t fuck with us -Tyler

[@32Rats]

"Boss jimmy got a big cut on his hand from some burrs on the steel, thats why we've been sanding off both ends on every one of them for the past hour"

[@bluecadillac]

Fifty years ago, my father got me a union job at a company where overtime was mandatory. Which was okay, until they decided they didn't need to give any notice. End of the day, the bosses were pointing out who had to stay (or be fired). We went on strike for two weeks to get the right to refuse overtime. My father was on the picket line when a truck tried to run the strikers over. During the ensuing scuffle, my father and two other strikers were arrested (and released without charges).

[@Breca]

People forget those days...Cheers to your dad and men like him who fought for what we take for granted

[@cult_of_odin]

@@Breca you mean the days when the mafia controlled the Unions instead of the government? I personally trust the mafia over the government. At least when you pay the mafia they leave you alone.

[@wildandliving]

Laws say they can't do it. If they fire its with out cause and they're liable

[@Kaidkb]

@@wildandliving I hope you realize that even in the Unites States, there are several states that you can terminate employees without a good reason. Montana is the only State I am aware of that has laws requiring you to justify termination. Most states consider your employment at-will, so your boss could literally look at you, decide that (in their personal opinion) your hair looked ugly, and fire you without even having to tell you why they did. So I am uncertain which laws you are referencing, especially since I am unaware of any federal laws mandating explanation for termination (with the possible exception of contractual obligation). If you mean other countries, that is definitely possible as I believe some countries do have laws like that.

[@crazyice2980]

@@Kaidkb they still can not fire you for a reason that is illegal such as race or being gay and I believe refusing over time in some places is protected

[@johnborges5938]

Funny how the courts never seem to consider, for instance, a court order temporarily requiring that the company pay the overtime bonus just until the court has time to look more comprehensively. Instead the workers are forced to work under terms they don't consent to.

[@thebigdawg61]

This has a great deal in common with the hospital case. The first hospital refused to match the pay the second hospital was offering. In this instance the scaffold company has refused to match the bonus other workers are receiving. If the workers are so critical match the bonus, if they're not that critical quit crying about it.

[@unitrader403]

i am sure Managment thought they deserved the Bonus more than the Workers, because they were more important....[/sarcasm]

[@cult_of_odin]

@@unitrader403 that's middle management. The bureaucracy of corporations is nearly indistinguishable from communism.

[@Dreadwolf3155]

well said! Steve meaning no disrespect to your law experience, but no i don't have to see it form the court's perspective when they're trying to enforce anything amounting to slave labor. That judge should be out on his ear, or shipped to China to work for the CCP. Stepping back from the emotion fo ra second, i think there is a tremendous relative harm argument to be made for the damage that was doen to all at will workers with that three day TRO. It essentially cast doubt on the rights of every worker everywhere in the country.

[@SA12String]

This seems like the necessary reaction. The law is the law. From the comments of an article on this issue: "The standard response to management like this is "work to code". That means every movement checked and double checked for safety. The result is generally a 30% lower productivity. If management wants to use the law, that works both ways." Here's the reality: The "Oil mine" can hire another shift rather than wring out the employees who are already working 10 grueling hours a day at a dangerous job. It's bad management and 100% greed-driven.

[@jonathannelson103]

Malicious compliance is the worker's best friend.

[@hbhkennel918]

​@@jonathannelson103There's no such thing as malicious compliance. There's just compliance.🎉🎉🎉

[@Acein3055]

Some suggestions: 1. Management needs to hire more workers and create two 6 to 8 hour shifts due to the working conditions. 2. Have the management come out of their air conditioned office and do the manual labor work outside in the 90 degree heat for 10 hours and then work overtime after the 10 hours and then see how the management feels about the situation.

[@halffast7799]

Except that will never happen.

[@murraystewartj]

@@halffast7799 Yup. I'm looking for a new job right now, Heck, even a local pizza placce is offering $25 an hour while my current employer has promised wage increases less than that (not delivered) and is now demanding overtime to get a big order out. Plus it's an hour there and back - gas, wear and tear and so forth. I'm done. Loyalty is a two way street and as soon as I get a new job they'll get the two second notice they deserve. Yup, it's hard to find people willing to work but if you're an employer who takes workers for granted don't do the shocked Picachu thing when your workers call your bluff.

[@terrymofmich]

BLAM!

[@Acein3055]

@@terrymofmich ?

[@terrymofmich]

@@Acein3055 , management needs to treat/pay workers better.

[@sorrynotsorry5589]

Jail might be an upgrade from that job!

[@mystichawk1612]

I can't believe this story, it is ridiculous to ask these guys to risk there life for overtime. I also would want to see the memo and then sue the company for intimidation. My brother works 12 hours five days a week in 100 degree temperatures wearing boots, gloves, and long sleeve fireproof jumpsuit. His boss doesn't understand why he can't accomplish the same amount of work he does when it is 60 degrees out. He worries about heatstroke trying to keep to there pace. These companies don't give a crap about there employees lives.

[@SonsOfLorgar]

They need to be charged with criminal endangerment and attempted murder

[@Alverant]

Do you think businesses care about the lives of their employees?

[@pjschmid2251]

Isn’t there some sort of health and safety organization that would have oversight into that matter? That’s the organization he should be appealing to to review this company’s policies.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

@@Alverant Only when they get held legally responsible AND it costs them money for not "caring". See also chemical plants and petroleum refineries.

[@johnme7049]

@@pjschmid2251 Again, CaNaDa

[@davidbaldwin1018]

There was a story last year in Wisconsin about hospital workers being threatened. The hospital they worked for refused their collective appeals for raises and better/safer working conditions. A neighboring hospital offered them what they wanted so they applied, were hired, and put in their notice at the first hospital. The first hospital sued the workers and the judge ordered the workers to stay at the first hospital and ordered the second hospital not to schedule the new workers. It hit the news of course. Before the weekend was over the judgment was reversed.

[@chriscunanan]

It’s groupthink insanity where insulated deciders decide insane things like that. As if forced labor couldn’t so easily sabotage every aspect of the work while maintaining plausible deniability of intent as well as rational reason, to “get fired.” “Oops” or simply the least effort possible.

[@nathanielhill8156]

The court did not order the workers to stay at the old hospital. The order was for the new hospital to not schedule the workers untill the court could meet.

[@barnabusdoyle4930]

A US court could never order someone to work at one employer or the other, 13th amendment

[@captainobvious8665]

Yeah, Steve covered it in this video and another and the order was rescinded by the original judge. This is different... the government is just forcing these workers to keep the commitment their contract requires. If these workers would keep their commitment like adults... the judge wouldn't have to step in. This job requires overtime, as many do. If you don't like it, go find another job. Can't find one that gives you everything you want? Too bad. It's not anybody's job to bake sure that you get what you want. Smells like entitlement around here.

[@Travisrogers87]

@@captainobvious8665 Steve specifically said the scaffolders were sticking to the letter of the contract, which only required a 40 hour work week. The contract did not require overtime. Before insulting them perhaps you should understand the basic facts of the case.

[@terminsane]

Oh really. Are they trying to see how fast that job can be sabotaged?

[@zippydoo9533]

The way things are going maybe sabotage will get those found guilty the death penalty.

[@husher5142]

@@zippydoo9533 agenda 2030 right smh

[@SonsOfLorgar]

@@zippydoo9533 canada doesn't have capital punishment

[@terminsane]

@@SonsOfLorgar soon they will. They're already "medically assisting" mentally ill people into an early grave.

[@zippydoo9533]

@@SonsOfLorgar lol yeah I forgot and should have known better. Maybe Canada will change the law and then implement capital punishment for those criminals refusing to work overtime.

[@maxnovax3948]

i know someone who worked the oil patch in Alberta. He refused to work an overtime shift the next day after just finishing a 20 hour shift, working with heavy equipment, alone, with no rest. His supervisor beat the shit out of him [ no witnesses ] , then told him to report for his shift in 4 hours or be fired. People around him were using meth in order to meet the demands for endless overtime work.

[@thomasperdew3767]

This is already happening here in the US. Medical workers who have already worked their shifts, are being charged with abandonment if they are unable to stay without the next shift showing up, they are also being "mandated" to work extra hours to keep there job.

[@ChiceJigle]

I dont know about other states, but when I worked in a mandatory mental health facility in Oklahoma, they could only require a double. After 16 hours, you get 8 hours off, period. If they were short staffed, oh well, thats their problem. *mandatory mental health facility being court ordered O&E for upcoming trials and NGRIs for post conviction holds.

[@TheCloudpiercer]

This absolutely happens, but is the hospital ever held responsible when a nurse dies from falling asleep at the wheel? No, it is not. Happened in Napa, California. Shes dead, the hospital never stopped forcing their medical workers to do overtime. Definitely slavery.

[@christopherlee5584]

Happened to me once.... and as soon as I was properly relieved, I resigned on the spot effective immediately. I told the charge nurse "I hope it was worth it for you. You are now alot more short-handed. I had another job in the hospital across town that same day.

[@theresedavis2526]

Typical of the US. The first developed country to retain slavery! It looks like Canada is next.

[@dickjohnson9582]

​@@ChiceJiglethat's pretty good only 16 hours a day! You could get a solid 3 hours sleep on that

[@speeddaemon6557]

Here's what the workers need to start doing: After a few long shifts, start telling their bosses (in writing or in the presence of witnesses) that they feel like they're too tired/fatigued to work safely. If they continue to force them to work, then after a few of these complaints, start making expensive "mistakes." Use the documentation/witnesses to redirect blame squarely back on the company.

[@steveholloway738]

Add to it report even the smallest “injury” that requires even a bit of time off. Once the worker compensation board sees a spike in lost time injuries the company has a whole new set of problems to deal with. But yes, as soon as you say you feel unsafe, that triggers a preordained sequence of events that cost time and money.

[@jimcox8148]

Unfortunately, mistakes when building scaffolding can be deadly.

[@ArchivedFox]

@@jimcox8148 accidentals ones yes. But im sure you can stage one while you and other are safe but tools and work isnt. Like leaving certain things running while away.

[@TargaWheels]

They could always just quit.

[@Spookshow1000]

My work speed would go from 100 percent to 5 percent if a boss forced me to work. I'd be poopin every 5 min.

[@pathfinderlight]

If your pay and employee treatment is so low that you have an EMERGENCY situation with a bunch of them leaving, maybe you should treat and pay your people better. Being jailed for refusing voluntary overtime makes the overtime no longer voluntary. If you have a situation where people are refusing to work overtime en masse, maybe you should pay them more. If that doesn't work, hire more people. It's very interesting to see that there is no injunction against mass quitting from the scaffolding company. Wonder what happens when the workers figure that out.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

It really is ludicrous how companies will do everything possible but hire enough people to cover a job.

[@StixFerryMan]

Never gonna happen. My wife works in age care and faces the same problems. Overwork, underpaid, poor working conditions, bad treatment from management. End of the day, the staff is told to either shut up or leave. And that just leaves those who stay to be put under more pressure, and management to treat those who remain worse. And other ppl I know say the same about their fields, no matter what kind of job. And don’t get me started about what happens to those who do go above and beyond for the good of the company. Anyone would think the workers kicked the bosses dog, the way they act. Personally, I don’t understand the mentality behind it. It is almost as if the management is offended that ppl would work for them.

[@skurdibbles7913]

​@@StixFerryMan it's a little different for nurses especially in age care at least in my state. If they don't get their relief coming in for next shift, they can be arrested for leaving.

[@ltmundy1164]

@skurdibbles7913 : Medical Abandonment. Walking away from any patient under your care w/o properly transferring them to equal or greater standard of treatment? If you can still keep your license, you probably won’t keep your personal liability coverage. Same outcome. No medical practice will employ you.

[@Michigan1]

In this world - the good ones are punished. When u uploaded this video. My boss, offered my helper a job (as he didn't show up or stay at work regularly), as my boss, and offered him $17 more an hour than I made - of course, the guy ultimately took the job, worked it a couple months, shopped other companies, and left. My boss then offered the same job to me w a $2 an hour pay increase - I took the job. I like the job, and my boss is a nice enough guy, but that's a really hard pill to swallow. Anyway, bosses lean on the good workers, and will over pay lazy workers - just to get them to work like a "good worker" (or whatever position you have - it falls under all categories of employment)

[@redtankgirl5]

I knew it was Alberta before you ever said it. I also know that company I’m pretty sure from personal experience. That being said, I got a call while working for that company about 25 years ago that my mother was I’ll and may not survive it. She was in another province and I wanted to go and be with her. They wanted to refuse me bc I was a boilermaker welder and they felt I was needed there more than I was by my family. I was the only child and I fought it with my union and went. It took me 8 weeks but I helped her recover. The unemployment in that province told me to make sure to apply for compassionate leave when I returned to Alberta bc I was entitled to that. I tried to do that but was told in Alberta that I was an essential worker and I should have been welding in the oil fields and it wouldn’t matter if my family died the oil was more important so I was getting no compassionate leave in Alberta. I quit that day, put my house on the market and moved to another province. Haven’t looked back.

[@shelleythompson-brock6412]

Wow...Canada has been Communist for awhile, now, I guess.

[@redtankgirl5]

@@shelleythompson-brock6412 Shit Shelley we’re not communists. Alberta is a province that is only concerned with the oil and the corporations that produce it. Most of which are American interests. That is a fascist province through and through. Each province has control of their own business which is exactly why I left Alberta.

[@Matt_of_the_mountains]

Yeah I'm American and even I know Alberta is basically Canadian Texas. As soon as he said this was in Canada my first thought was I bet it's Alberta.

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

Ye Gods! what an awful story. Amazing that they have zero consideration for a life-and-death situation involving your own mother!

[@shelleythompson-brock6412]

@@redtankgirl5 You're not, but your government most definitely is. As is ours is becoming. Gotta stop these monsters in their tracks.

[@Vee-Shan-CC]

Hi, I live in Alberta and have been seeing posts pop up on various Alberta city subreddits. Basically the workers had been passing notes stating that they shouldn't be taking overtime till they were given incentive to do so. The union stepped in and found out that this was being done and explained that by making a concerted effort to organize no overtime they were actually performing illegal acts (not including the union and fostering unrest or some such nonsense). The moment the workers found out about what their activities meant they stopped and just opted to not take take overtime by their own choice. Apparently it was already too late though. Two workers were overheard talking about not taking overtime on purposed in the smoke pit and it quickly got spread around the company. The company went to the labour board and made it all about a strike or mutiny or whatever and the court had to step in. The fact is you can't make people work overtime and threatening to throw people in jail and blacklist them is a lot of work. Imagine trying to prove that a worker didn't take overtime to be malicious when they just don't want to work in 30+ celcius heat without being given incentive. And blacklisting? From what a lot of the workers posted they found it extremely funny when the entire industry is having a shortage of workers. Good luck Suncor, you're and you should feel bad.

[@evawettergren7492]

I know nothing about the work laws and conditions over in North America... but as someone working at a company with a strong Union in Sweden, I find the reaction of the Union in this story to be very strange. For us, the Union are there to protect the workers, to make sure they get the pay they deserve and most of all that they are safe during their performance of their job. For a Union to step in and tell the employees to not coordinate a protest is the opposite of what our Unions would do. Rather, our Union would themselves order the work shut down due to danger to the workers, as overtime is only supposed to be used sparingly and in exceptional situations. If your Unions are working hand in hand with the employers I can understand why you don't like them.

[@AdeptPaladin]

Except their own union ratified a deal that allows overtime to be mandatory if there's a shortage of volunteers.

[@rodneyperry6942]

@@evawettergren7492 half of the unions over here are corrupt. They're in bed with the company. The other half are decent and do what they're supposed to.

[@evawettergren7492]

@@rodneyperry6942 I can't understand people who go against the ones they are supposed to help. Were they not themselves workers at some point? They should understand the struggles and want to get better working conditions. But I guess for some as soon as they get their own lives secured they can just ignore everyone else. But such people should not be allowed to work in a Union. Here we vote for those who are in the Union and nobody who goes along with the company line would ever get a second vote.

[@igot2remember]

A worker being force to work volunteers overtime or go to jail is nothing but akin to slavery. It doesn't matter if its a concerted coordinated effort for them not to work their >voluntary< overtime. If this was a coordinated effort to stop people from working their contracted hour, i get it, but its not; Its for voluntary hours outside of the pre-agree contract.

[@trieger50]

Seems to me that scaffolding installed by disgruntled workers might have a greater tendency to collapse.

[@musicloverme3993]

or as @ARockRaider says, "when someone is overworked they make mistakes."

[@nicmart]

An advocate of homicide. Nice.

[@Dreadwolf3155]

don't these people know you get more flies with honey than vinager?

[@MaritimeUnprepared]

@11:30 in Canada it's easier to do most oil work in the winter. In the winter everything is frozen and is far more accessible

[@trombone113]

I worked at a company in Virginia about 30 years ago that was absolutely screwed up. The warehouse in back was huge. But we had been taking in so many trucks of merchandise that there wasn't enough room for 2 forklifts to drive by each other. That meant that there could only be 1 guy putting the pallets into the racking that was 40' in the air on the isles that still had any room. We had been working that way for 3 weeks and it was beyond dangerous. Not to mention the fact that we would empty the trucks, but one person couldn't put everything away. So all those full pallets just got stacked on top of each other. Finally on the 4th Monday I came in and saw the warehouse trashed because it had been so busy over the weekend. Those that worked the weekend couldn't get the pallets they needed out of the racking so they just opened up new pallets on the floor but made no effort to keep track of the inventory and what was sold. We spent that entire day just cleaning the mess and didn't unload 1 of the 9 trucks delivered that day. I stayed. I stayed all night and cleaned up all those partial pallets and got all the inventory straight.When the boss came in he was really happy with how it all looked and we were able to take in Tuesdays 4 trucks and Mondays 9. Then at the end of the shift I said I will see you Thursday. He was confused. I told him that it was able to happen because I literally worked 32 straight hours. I was leaving, getting something to eat, taking a shower, turning off my phone and going go sleep. Things were better after that as the boss had them adopt what I had done. Which was combine more than 1 item to a pallet to free up more space. As long as inventory was tracked, there would be no lost merchandise. But the manager decided to just order more inventory when she saw how much space there was. The more that was sold, the bigger her bonus. That lasted about 6 weeks before things were getting worse. It was at that time that I went up and flat out refused any overtime. There was no coordinated effort. Just me. I said I was not going to bust my ass at $6.25/hour. And even the overtime pay was not enough to put up with all the crap. The boss said he would just fire me. I said go ahead. I have already taken pictures and have written a letter to OSHA. The only thing I hadn't done was send it. If he didn't want it sent, double my pay that day and fix the problem. But if anyone got hurt, no matter how minor, I promised I would get it shut down. There is definitely power in your least expensive employees. I got the raise and stayed until the mess started up again. I came in and saw it after a weekend end had another job by lunch. I quit. Then I told the boss I sent the letter to OSHA with new photos. Have a good day. Always always always make yourself more valuable than they think you are. There isn't a job in the world worth your life. Although I have worked dangerous jobs as well. You do what you need to for family. But you don't put up with BS no matter what job you work. The thing to do for these workers would be for them all to quit. There is no emergency. It is only being done for profit.

[@orppranator5230]

That was a huge wall of text, but it didn’t feel like it at all. Nice story.

[@viktorm1883]

In most cases, you would have been fired and a new sucker would start the next day

[@shelleythompson-brock6412]

Yep. And when you drop deap working for 'the company', they'll replace you before your body's cold and never think twice about you.

[@WorldWearyAngel]

just all get doctors notes and they should be fine its not a "coordinated" effort if they all happen to have doctors notes with different common maladies XD

[@dingfeldersmurfalot4560]

@@WorldWearyAngel Don't think they won't fire you for having maladies, too.

[@jillgott6567]

I worked 17 years for a large retailer . They did things such as had folks work 11- 12 hours [ 3- 4 off the clock- work schedule was 8-5pm, clock out at 5 but keep working ] to get the premises ready for corporate visits. The next day, you would come in but not clock in at the start of your shift as the previous day's extra 3-4 hours would be written in on your time sheet. Working the remainder of your shift you would receive a full 8 hour day with no overtime for anything extra. I refused most of the time declaring my back ached. My boss would mock me saying my back pain only started at 5 pm. My refusal made tricky relationships not only with management but between myself and other staff who did not dare to refuse. So I wasn't popular. Finally, a management trainee had had enough he walked out and reported the company to OSHA and our state Labor Board for numerous violations. I got blamed for reporting them which I hadn't so yeah, it was a fun place to work. Many years later the company went under I happily had been gone 20 years at that point. Screw your employees and you will find your business gets screwed one way or another

[@MashaB-pk8hl]

When I worked retail in the pre-cellphone era, the company would call us at short notice to come in to work to cover someone else’s shift. I would simply not answer the phone if I had no interest in working that day. This dodging of an “obligation” to fill in for others was tracked by management, and you would be placed on their shit list.

[@pedronorman5396]

The risk of severe injury to fatigued scaffolders who've already worked a 10 hour shift, is untenable.

[@Cynidecia]

Threatening me like that is immeduate grounds for me to quit and report your actions to the authorities.

[@bigmike9128]

Seems like if they gave the scaffolders the same bonus as other workers this wouldn't have even been an issue.

[@mariehammond5097]

It's "voluntary" overtime. I could see the company's position if their contract includes mandatory OT, but I think the company is out of bounds here.

[@yunofun]

It is more than a simple refusal. This has to do with unions and legal strikes. Because the company is alleging that it is a coordinated refusal, if true it could be considered an illegal strike.

[@mariehammond5097]

@@yunofun The company doesn't own its workers, and they had worked the 40 hours they were contractually obligated to work. It really is that simple.

[@yunofun]

@@amandak.4246 Again, the company is alleging that it was a coordinated refusal. It wasn't Bob saying he couldn't/wouldn't work it because he wanted to go hang out with his cat all night, it was that they believed the union was telling the workers to not take the overtime. Legally, there is a big difference there.

[@hatman4818]

No... There... F@#$ing... Isnt... If it is VOLUNTARY, then they can all INDIVUDUALLY REFUSE TO WORK said overtime. If its voluntary overtime, then the company has ZERO legal expectation of their workers to work overtime. End of f@#$ing story. If their entire work force calls in sick because theyre trying to bully the workers into working VOLUNTARY overtime, then that's their f@#$ing lot. I dont care how coordinated it seems, if theyre "striking" during VOLUNTARY OVERTIME, then it's not a f@#$ing strike. All that is, is a company that's used to getting their way, used to getting workers to do overtime on a voluntary basis, then treating those workers like sh@t, then finding out real f@#$ing quick what the definition of voluntary means. Btw, this kind of sh@t is why I got out of the USAF. Chain of command wouldnt stop brow beating us into voluntarily staying late, even past legally required down time, despite being salaried and never paid overtime. Not to mention the staggering amount of superfluous BS, like mandatory training, outprocessing, fitness, etc, the military tries to push onto your "free" time, or even the amount of time your chain spends trying to brow beat you into "volunteering" for XYZ, all under the threat of ACTUAL jailtime through the UCMJ, and stuck in a 4 year contract.... Honestly, even if they had legal grounds, like a mandatory overtime bit in their contract... Sh@t like that deserves to be considered not legally binding due to the degree to which an employer can abuse it to create unsafe working conditions.

[@dwaynepenner2788]

If you listen closely, the overtime was voluntary unless there were not enough volunteers. The threat of jail would have been through an eventual theoretical contempt of court for not following a judicial ruling…enforced by the court (I don’t believe that has happened, even in Alberta). What is interesting is that a note like this is also likely to be considered a job action and is likely just as wrong as the employees not following g the contract.

[@brendabernal2122]

The scaffold my brother was working on collapsed, and he fell 6 floors.. Thank goodness he’s alive, however he had to retire from work due to his injuries.. He retired at 47 years old.. 🌹

[@slcRN1971]

😪

[@bjornlangoren3002]

Doing scaffolding in the dark or under blinding flood lights while sleep deprived and dehydrated sounds like a recipe for death by gravity.

[@rickershomesteadahobbyfarm3291]

I remember when you covered the people that were leaving the hospital. My opinion on that remains the same. The hospital had no right to do what they did. The judge should never told people that were legally allowed to leave a company that they could not. I personally would have left anyway.

[@JAT985]

Iirc the hospital TRO wasnt that the nurses couldnt leave, it was that the new hospital couldnt employ them. Loopholes.

[@mkendallpk4321]

@@JAT985 I personally would not gone back to work. What the judge did was just ludicrous as the employees have every right to quit and work for someone else.

[@NoodlesExtraMSG]

If you are referring to the Wisconsin case, yes there was a injunction to prevent a 11-person team from leaving since it posed a threat to the patients. But the judge jad to lift the injunction, once the hospital hired new people, and the 11 person team was then free to move on to the new job. But yeah... fuckery is afoot

[@crisun]

@@NoodlesExtraMSG called Slavery what the judge did

[@jasonpatterson8091]

At the very least there was a public safety aspect to the hospital decision. This is 100% some pack of assholes' bottom line that matters.

[@Hillykarma]

I can't say what I'd do if my employer threatened to have me jailed for refusing overtime, but it would certainly be worthy of jail time.

[@photomanwilliams4147]

I worked for a utility company in the U.S. We had a term called "the needs of the service" Durning storm conditions we could be forced to do overtime, and be fired for refusal to work The problem, the company used the term storm conditions to loosely and light sprinkling was used as a way to force overtime. The employees responded! I know how this game gets played........ the workers stay working overtime, but every safety issue gets filed requiring investigation, workers work really slow. Strange things start happening to slow progress. Minor injuries that often got shrugged of get filed that hurt the company safety numbers. Bottom line, It's a game of bluff, and who blinks first, with is how the corperate world works, but, when one sides pushes over a reasonable limit..... everybody looses.

[@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin]

Sounds like a subsidiary of ITT.

[@yunofun]

Sounds a bit like what happened at a freezer warehouse I used to work at. Overtime was "voluntary" but if you didn't have enough people volunteering to stay over it became mandatory. We were already working 12 hour shifts and were sick of it. Suddenly after 12 hours the pallet jacks needed battery changes more often, were locked into T1 for speed (ours had 3 speed teirs, 1 being the slowest) and the reach trucks were suddenly having issues lifting the pallets. We would go from an average of 20 minutes to unload and put away a truck to over an hour.

[@photomanwilliams4147]

@@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin BINGO!

[@AdeptPaladin]

Work to rule. It's a form of striking that slows down and bogs a company in constant red tape WITHOUT actually refusing work

[@johnnyfreedom3437]

I work as an outside Union contractors and your power plants. They found our most productive shift was a 10-hour shift, going Beyond 10 hours is not cost effective, although sometime it's done. But I've never, ever been forced to work overtime on a union job! Pleaded with, coerced, threatened, yeah. That's been done. I work best with just a simple request in a pleasant voice! Otherwise, screw you, I hear a bartender calling me!! Bet you can't guess what union I'm with

[@Veela666]

Court: You can't quit Me: watch me.

[@markc1548]

I worked for a steel company who tried to force us to work overtime because it was written in our contact that we were required to work a reasonable amount of overtime. I flat out refused to work a single hour until they stated how many hours was "reasonable" and because the the next line in the contact stated the company was also required to provide a reasonable amount of overtime they didn't dare give a number otherwise everyone would be demanding to be paid that amount.

[@AeroGuy07]

The only time I worked in fast food I had a manager tell me that refusing to come to work if they called me on my scheduled day off was grounds for termination. So on my next scheduled day off I left the house at 6am and went fishing with a friend on his boat and was gone all day. When I got home my dad said that my manager had called a few times. Ok. The next day I showed up for my shift and my manager wasn't happy. He said that this was my second warning and I'd be fired if it happened again. I told him I'd be right back, walked out to my car, grabbed the trash bag with my uniforms in it, dropped it on the counter and said "it'll never happen again because I don't work here anymore." Manager was livid. "You can't do this! It's almost the lunch rush!" Almost trying to use guilt. It didn't work. I looked at him and said "why don't you just call someone that's off today and ask them to come in." When I picked up my final paycheck he tried to dock my pay because he said I was short one uniform. I reminded him that that uniform had been ruined when he made me clean up the grease spill, someone else's mess, by the grease dumpster a few weeks earlier.

[@teddys5775]

had a similar situation when i refused to clean my coworkers poo off the wall

[@yunofun]

Depending on industry there can be consequences for refusing to work unscheduled hours. I have a friend who used to work security. As a site supervisor it was his responsibility to make sure all shifts are covered even if it means working them himself. He spent months without a day off because they were short handed and when he finally had a day off one of the other guys called in. Nobody could reach him to get coverage, the guy on duty left at the end of his shift, company lost the client over it because for part of the 12 hours they had someone with 0 training at the site working and for part of it there was nobody. Both my friend and the guy who left at the end of his shift got fired and had their security licenses revoked, my friend was barred from obtaining a new license for 5 years. There was even talk of suing him for the damage to the company because of the loss of client but that never went forward, likely because they would never be able to collect with how broke he was.

[@teddys5775]

@@yunofun yeah the problem with mandated overtime is when they rely on it as standard practice. Like a supervisor forced into staying open to close multiple times a week while on salary pay or in my Rl case understaffed overnight nursing I worked 64 hours a week until I quit because I needed the job. They knew they were understaffed but refused to increase pay to get people in to the detriment to the patients.

[@freedustin]

@@yunofun Supervisors fault 100%. That putz didn't even try to be properly staffed. No way should that come down on the shift worker. The shift workers didn't lose the contract, management did. Management saw fit to put someone there with 0 training with just 1 other person? Management should have been present throughout the entire shift. How you gonna manage if you aren't even present? What kind of supervisor doesn't need to be present? A putz that loses contracts, that's what kind.

[@AeroGuy07]

@@yunofun I was an 18 year old lackey at Burger King scheduled 32 hours a week.

[@hunterdevillier8198]

If every refuses to work overtime And they all get jailed who the hell is gonna do the job

[@donaldteuber8588]

​@@mr.wyodak2131 That's always been the whole reason... an obedient, subservient work force.... totally intimidated.... you will do what we tell you, for as long as we say, under any conditions we require. If you resist... 5-6-10 others just over the border will replace you

[@ST-ff1zd]

Been happening in hospital nursing for Many Years.

[@BryanMccomb-sg7qw]

That's different isn't it my mom was a nurses aid for 25 years and had mandatory overtime time if she didn't do it it was neglect

[@Katrn30]

@@BryanMccomb-sg7qw how is that different? We were forced to work overtime with the threat of losing our license…our livelihood not just our job. After a long day at work when I was getting sick with flu, I was told I had to stay overtime, and if I went home sick I would be charged with abandonment of my patients. Keep in mind my scheduled shift was over, and I was threatened with something that would lose my license to practice. This was how they staffed the floor during the summer when the old guard were all on vacation. I worked 30 years as an RN and was NEVER able to take even one day off vacation in the summer. In Canada, seniority rules and, vacation goes by who has been there the longest with no limits as to how much they could take. I was offered a day in November one year, for vacation, but as I had to work before and after that day, what was the point? When I look back at how we were treated in Canada, I wonder how they can keep their staff at all. I worked 10 years in the US and was treated so much better.

[@roberthance2412]

Sounds like the workers should all quit and find a new job. I have had to many jobs during my life because I would not put up with any sht from a company I busted my a$$ for. No matter how much I liked the job its not worth dealing with crap like this.

[@fs127]

If more people thought like that companies would have a hard time exploiting them.

[@frederickbays405]

@@fs127 anyone who does not is a slave Yes a wage slave. they have not savings b/c they live to high on the hog for what they are being paid so they are tied to this job. I never let myself get that bad off. Hell one ass I word for I quit and went to living on the street until I got another job. That was way back when i first got out of school Age 25 and no savings After that I made sure I always had at least three month money on hand. Today I am very rich but still eat like I always have and dont live very high on the hog but for when My Love and I go to RI each yr to visit the Ocean and her sister. For that one week we eat at some very nice places RI SE Mass E Conn have a lot of them. But our hotel room is the cheapest we can fine. Hell all we need it for is to sleep after a day at the beach.

[@fs127]

@@frederickbays405 Frugality, independence, and privacy are all things that have been undervalued for some time now and we're at a point where most will look at you funny for adhering to them.

[@zapazap]

@@frederickbays405 When one stretches the application, one should take care to stretch it's meaning accordIngly. Cheers! :]

[@ValerieBailey-y9u]

Back in the nineties a hospital group in the UK tried to impose contract changes under threat of dismissal (illegal). In response 900 unionised workers resigned on the same day, and offered their services back to the hospital via the agency that covered chronic staff shortages. They dropped it quick smart but had awful recruitment and retention problems for years after.

[@ptrinch]

Sounds to me like the 'coordinator' of the worker's refusal to work overtime was the company itself. They get singled out in not receiving the same overtime bonus as the other employees, so they have no incentive to work it. Sounds like an action/consequence situation to me.

[@meatpuppet7712]

It just seems strange to me that the judge thought imprisoning the employees is the better option instead of ordering their employers to either pay them more or hire more people. I assume this employer knows they can hire people for let's say a weekend shift.

[@AdeptPaladin]

It's not a judge in this case, it's a board of officials who make the rulings and they declared this an illegal strike. The workers are unionized and have a valid collective bargain that does allow for mandatory overtime.

[@qualicumwilson5168]

Alberta is so short of qualified workers, and they are probably are working a few HUNDRED miles from the nearest large city, that firing other people is about as likely as Putin leaving Ukraine. I wish the courts were more reasonable to all people, not just employers.

[@danielmckay4863]

As someone who lives in Alberta and has worked in the oilsands I can almost guarantee that they are not refusing the overtime, they just want to be paid fairly for it. These worksites are in the middle of nowhere, and the vast majority of the workers are staying in on site camps. Because of this, 10hr+ work days are normal as you literally have nothing better to do but watch TV while off duty. Nobody wants to hang out in camp all weekend doing nothing, they would much rather be making money, but not getting at least time and a half, or $150 daily bonus for doing so is ridiculous. I can also somewhat understand the court order, because if the scaffolders refuse to work, essentially all other construction or maintenance work cannot be performed without proper scaffolding in place.

[@Mavendow]

Steve, the "harm suffered" during the hospital TRO was more than principle. It was materially damaging to the United States Constitution. For 48 hours those doctors were indentured servants. If the goal of the court was to "reduce harm" they should've considered the U.S.A's most basic founding principles. That single court order harmed the entire nation's social contract!

[@tisjester]

Tell me you do not understand the story without telling me you did not understand the story. It was the other hospital that could not allow them to work. They were not forced to work at the 1st hospital. The TRO was against the 2nd hospital not the employee's. Sheesh

[@mattbentley8958]

@@tisjester it still violates the constitution and takes away peoples freedom. It also goes against what a capitalism is where both parties must agree and the government has no business getting involved. The courts are out of control.

[@ianh1504]

@@tisjester oh yeah, its something totally different and OK to say to them you dont have to work for me, but you CANT work anywhere else. what is the point of you posting this?

[@RJN31428]

If I remember correctly they were not allowed to work at the first hospital either. So what benefit was there other than punishing the workers and the other hospital?

[@BigYehudah]

No you don't understand the situation. Banning them from working at another hospital amounts to the same thing. Your argument is reductive and thus absurd. They either worked under poor conditions or couldn't work in their own field AT ALL.

[@rumdrunk2190]

Forced labor with . Sounds kind of like slavery to me . And a judge signed off on this ? Is Canada OK with enforcing that with jail time ?

[@kharnthebetrayer1575]

Well considering how the government has been treating people for the last 3 yrs…

[@Ozzy_2014]

The courts are. They hate blue collar workers.

[@Embermist69]

Well considering they have treated the workers of one of the biggest industries that keeps Canada moving earlier this year. This is not that much of a surprise to me. When you label whole groups nazis and other horrendous things just because they don't want the jab. (Yes I know that's a whole different can of worms.) They themselves I think become that. The USA leagl system may not be as great as it could be, but I think it's just a hair bit better then Canada's. Just my opinion though.

[@lothar71]

@@Embermist69 Considering nazi's are the ones trying to overthrow the goverment and should be treated like that trash they are. the conservatives continue to be the problem in canada and the us.

[@spdyrzr01]

As new hire at my workplace there was a 6 month probationary period where you could be moved from shift to shift at any point on time. I get a call late in the evening on a Sunday to come to work in the sanitation department. Over the phone I told the supervisor I was half-way through a 12 pk. of Budwieser but I would be right in. Immediately I is was told not to come in that night. Worked like a charm. A short time later I walked to the gas station down the street and settled in at home with a couple of beers before I went to bed that night. Works like charm (and I wasn't stuck in sanitation for the rest of my 6 month probation).

[@MrBoobootastic]

I have worked at many of these oil sites in Alberta and I can tell you that the host oil company is giving the their contractors the extra money incentive for all workers. No matter the trade. Clearly in this particular case the owner of the scaffolding company is pocketing the extra money for himself. I see it all the time. Do the math. $150 per day incentive bonus for 30 employees is $4,500 per day the owner is pocketing. In fact, I was involved in 2 similar situations where where our employees were not being given the incentive bonuses that other workers from other companies were receiving. And in both situations it was our company being greedy and not giving it's employees the incentive bonuses and pocketing it for themselves. It caused all kinds of problems in both situations. It's sad to see employees being treated this way especially when you consider its just a person trying work an honest day's work to provide for their families while being so far from home.

[@mybossisdrunk]

Absolutely inexcusable for a court to tell me or anyone else when and where I have to work.

[@ColonelMarcellus]

In at least one hospital I've heard of, anyone not giving the two-week notice could be prosecuted for "patient abandonment". I've heard this threat but never seen anyone prosecuted. "At-Will" employment always, ALWAYS benefits the employer and NEVER the employee.

[@GilmerJohn]

Usually, such "charges" only put the license at risk. If a licensed nurse walks out before the replacement showed up, that might be criminal.

[@nss5353]

@@GilmerJohn In CA at least the RN can just refuse any assignment and there is NOTHING the hospital can do to their license. An RN can also walk mid shift as long as they've given reasonable notice that they are walking out the door. It isn't a question of why the RN didn't stay, it is a question of why management did nothing after being told they had to do something and given time to do it.

[@SaanMigwell]

I would have to disagree I left at will and the entire department I worked for collapsed, and got new managment and new employees. I was hired as a consultant in order to train the entirerly new department except for two people, who were on vacation when I walked out. At will employment gave me the biggest raise and promotion I've ever had. Had I had a contract, I'd still be at that dead end job.

[@drsiigabb9935]

Good luck suing an employee that, passed away.

[@ColonelMarcellus]

@@drsiigabb9935 Yes, or an employer who has changed management or names in attempt to claim that they are not the offending entity .

[@flazzorb]

It's fun to see how much of this isn't just not endorsed in the US, but is outright illegal.

[@thevashfan12392]

So what you mean is: it's condemned in the U.S to the point of being unlawful.

[@patrickday4206]

It's not illegal there's no limit to mandatory overtime

[@veganssuck2155]

@@patrickday4206 yes but this wasnt mandatory in this case

[@flazzorb]

@@patrickday4206 I'm not sure on that but I am sure on the fact there is no limit how many people can quit without notice.

[@fenixiliusstrife1253]

@@patrickday4206 I would be illegal to jail someone for refusing work. This would never fly in the US. Their contract says overtime, and even if it didn't the best the union could do would be to terminate them. There would be zero possibility in the US of jail time. The worst possible outcome would be getting fired. I actually think that in Canada this also does not fly legally. Just because one board said something, does not make them gods or right. I am very sure now that this has attention that heads will roll, because if the black and white of the contract states it is voluntary, then that is what holds true. And even if not, physical arrest would be a violation of human rights, most would happen is termination. This is a union contract dispute and has nothing to do with "mandatory overtime" for none contract employees. In fact Canada also does not have mandatory overtime restrictions, not does any country I know if. That is based on a job by job agreement.

[@petereese5370]

I am so happy the judge gets to enjoy his weekend, while workers are threatened into working overtime. This judge is a pillar of morality, let's make it a four day weekend for him so he can really think this whole thing through. Lol

[@4brigger]

they're still working 40 hours, the contract is being honored; how is that EVER a strike?

[@jamesphillips2285]

It is "work to rule". Typically done when striking is prohibited.

[@ValerieBailey-y9u]

In the UK they call it a "work-to-rule" ie; to contracted hours only and it is legal for any individual or group of workers. It is then up to the employer to negotiate with workers for an agreement on strictly voluntary overtime.

[@Heegaherger]

I worked at a plant that required 5 people per shift, 3 shifts for a total of 15 floor workers to keep the plant going. We were down to 9 people. That's left 6 overtime shits (12 hour each) per day. This was going into a period where it was decided weekend shifts were needed as well. They could not keep people beyond the small core and had a no rehire policy (work there for 20 years, try a different job, want to come back, get told to muck off). It seemed very pre-union Ford. They were just assigning "voluntary" overtime to people. I quit for the sake of my mental and physical facilities. Spent the next 6 months trying to find regular employment and housing, but was well worth being free from that dung pile.

[@GilmerJohn]

Well, it seems that there are folks (you are one) that are ready, willing, and able to work. It's time for a "sick out."

[@paulfrank7607]

If the company sends the workers to jail do the workers get overtime for the time spent in jail?

[@furturisticfrontierfilms]

The company will head down to the Honduras and find some pre 18 year olds that will scoop up those jobs under some type of work visa program. And many will work for 1/8 of the prevailing wage and pay housing and lodging, with no benefits. Sad

[@karenstein8261]

Back in the seventies my high school required “voluntary” work. It wasn’t enough to say you would do as required- you were required to volunteer. Small wonder so many grew to be bureaucrats with careers centered on ignoring any limits to their administrative authority.

[@zapazap]

I hate state schools.

[@atomic66]

It was not stated if it was a public or private school. I get the feeling it was a private religious school that required people to do volunteer work.

[@atomic66]

@@zapazap sounds like a church affiliated school to me

[@karenstein8261]

The school was operated by the local school district for use by all.

[@taco8951]

@@atomic66 I had to do the same thing and I went to public school.

[@RedeyedJedi00]

What kind of fascist B.S. they got going on up in Canada? And where are the workers reps? That entire community needs to break out the pitchforks / torches and put the corporation / court in its place. Rights are like muscles, if you don't exercise them, you lose them.

[@SwearMY]

Holy crap. That's insane.

[@johnkufeldt3564]

Hey Steve, as an Albertan the Govt always sides with the oil sands industry, it makes up a large percentage of the business taxes(as long as WTI price is in the $100 US price range) so I can see a judge siding with the industry as opposed to the unions. But I have never heard of anyone getting locked up for turning down OT. Cheers and thanks for covering a Canadian law reference.

[@jajsamurai]

yes, having the scaffolders work overtime was such an emergency that they decided NOT to offer overtime pay. I totally believe thats an emergency. no really, thats not sarcasm at all. sometimes people tell you with their ACTIONS things they dont say with their words. This is one of those times. The company isn't really that bothered by the scaffolders refusing to work overtime. they certainly arent bothered enough to offer more pay to get them to change their mind. The legal maneuvers are not about the overtime. the company knows they can get the workers to work the overtime if they just offer to pay more. the legal maneuvers are about the overtime PAY.

[@bytoadynolastname6149]

The cost of the people writing and releasing these press releases is more than they'd have to pay to get more work from the scaffolders. Also, press releases aren't going to let everyone a lack of scaffolding will affect do their job.

[@RajaniIsa]

It wasn’t not offering overtime pay - it was not offering incentive.

[@tabithawilks4434]

I love how a company can demand you work these ridiculous hours in dangerous conditions, but will fight to and nail the moment you get injured because of that.

[@jasonjones759]

The court was bought. 💯 Time for workers comp to come in to play. 🤕

[@GoCoyote]

The whole point of overtime is not to get more pay, but to encourage companies to limit working hours to those that are reasonable. Working 10 hour shifts doing heavy work in 90 degree heat is brutal, and leaves one at much higher risk of injuries and physical issues. It is far better to hire more workers and pay them a better wage than to overwork and burn out current workers. I have always been told that a company can never legally require one to work overtime. The only exception is when a job is labelled as a mandatory overtime job before one starts work, and even then one has the right to have enough time off to physically recover. To do otherwise is slavery, and we have fought long and hard to end that.

[@yunofun]

True though OT is cheaper for the company in some cases. If you have two employees each working 60 hours a week, so 40 hours of OT total it is still cheaper for the company because they are not paying out benefits and all other costs associated with a third employee.

[@shaunclarkson7131]

There is a labor shortage, AND the scaffolders are in a union, so the company literally CAN'T even raise the salaries if they wanted to without a negotiation at this point. They can't find the people they want/need, and they can't increase salary to attract more people because of the existing contract even if they wanted to. Ironically the union could be more responsible for this problem than the company, and is the only group that could negotiate a way out of it, but only after the existing contract expires. . That's what this case is hanging on, that these people have self negotiated to agree to withhold work (strike), without going through the proper channels (union and contract). The only recourse they might have is just to individually all QUIT at the same time. If your not hired, your not in the union, and you not under the CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATION for overtime.

[@GoCoyote]

@@shaunclarkson7131 There is no law or rule that says a company cannot pay more than the contracted amount. I have worked for union contractors that gave out employee bonuses or paid workers above contracted amounts in order to retain them. Contracts can be renegotiated at any time if both parties agree, and I have worked union contracts that had changes made mid contract when the contractors asked for some changes, and the union agreed and was able to get desired concessions with a new contract. Just took our membership to vote to open the negotiations, and then a membership vote on the new contract, and then we had a win-win contract. This has far more to do with the personalities and true intentions of the people involved. Some people are honest and firm, yet flexible and open to change, while others are obtuse and willfully obstinate to achieving mutually beneficial goals. This requires both sides to come together for a common purpose: Get the work done while providing a fair wage and decent working conditions to the people who are making the company money.

[@GoCoyote]

@@yunofun While it may appear cheaper to some accountants or managers, working overtime on a regular basis comes with hidden costs to a company: Higher employee turnover due to burnout, more accidents and injuries due to fatigue, more mistakes that cause material loss, lower productivity, and ultimately, lower worker moral that leads to bad attitudes and no longer caring for ones job. Why should a worker care, when it is obvious that the company and management don't care if one makes it to your kids games or plays, or to your sister in laws wedding?

[@VR_Aviator]

My wife was part of an organized sick day. Two professions were part of the same bargaining group and the other profession had greater numbers for the contract vote. When the contract went up for vote none of the issues for my wife's profession were addressed, but the contract was pushed through because of the other profession. The sick day put the union on notice that their days were numbered if they didn't split up the professions.

[@Typexviiib]

At my union skilled labor has to have a majority vote for a contract to pass. This keeps the much larger block of unskilled labor from calling all the shots.

[@tardisrider25]

Worked at a cheese place that had us working 60 hours a week.. management was behind because they were inept at their job. 6 months in i onew more than management how the place ran. They asked for us to come in Saturday too. I declined because i have a life. They said it was mandatory the next week. I said I've already sold all the hours i had for sale that week. I stayed home. Monday the four eyed overcompensating nerd that ran the place decided to come in and yell at me. I walked. The problem was by that time i was the one actually running the show and production took a nosedive. The other people threw four eyes under the bus and he was fired😂

[@commoncents456]

Thank you Steve I would like to hear from Canadian lawyers how this injunction was issued. To offer more money to everyone else other than the scaffolding guys is a kick in the balls. Again how did this court order go through.

[@VarroTigurius-u1f]

@@keithmarlowe5569 important to note that that hospital staff one was quickly dropped by the court during the hearing.. basically the hospital filed the restraining order and the judge/court had to make a ruling on the order.. they were only restrained from moving on till the hearing happened which was less than a week (filed on a Friday then heard on a Monday or Tuesday if I remember). The judge quickly ruled that forcing them to stay was a violation of their right to work.

[@shorttimer874]

@@keithmarlowe5569 If I remember correctly, the injunction wasn't against the workers leaving, it was against the 2nd hospital employing them.

[@zapazap]

@@shorttimer874 You remember correctly sir. Many commenters at the time were fucking up the facts (excuse my french.) Cheers! :)

[@orppranator5230]

@@keithmarlowe5569 It didn’t. The hospital tried in court but was shut down,

[@shaunclarkson7131]

Not a Lawyer, but local to it, so our news might have better details. Basically, very recently the Union negotiated a contract, and it was accepted, and it is that contract that the company is holding the workers to, which included forced overtime if no volunteers participated in requested overtime. It's more the Union that allowed that sort of clause to be put into the contract, than company trying to enforce it, that is at fault. Seems like they need new and better representation.

[@onesunghero]

No court on this planet is gonna compel me to work overtime if i don't want to.

[@duramax1gmc]

My union contract dictates my employer cannot force me to work overtime.

[@Katrn30]

I felt the same, but my employer would not allow us to leave at the end of our shift threatening to charge us with abandoning our patients. That would be a loss of our nursing license and loss of our career. It was a form of slavery.

[@onesunghero]

@@Katrn30 easiest lawsuit in history.

[@thatjeff7550]

Could be fired? Considering the company can't get folks as new hires does anyone believe that?

[@FLMKane]

Yeah I do. Don't underestimate stupidity and arrogance

[@damnhandy]

When I worked with union structural steel Iron Workers back in the seventies, we got double time for overtime, and triple time for weekends and holidays. The men, not the foreman or the contractor, decided if it was safe to work that day, depending on weather conditions. If it was raining or snowing, or very high winds, we had to wait until 10 am to declare we were rained out. In which case we got two-hours show up time. And no, they weren't American Indians. They were mostly German, Ukrainian, and Irish. In 30 years in the trades, I only saw one guy fall to his death; an apprentice electrician who backed into an open elevator shaft, and a couple of guys who lost fingers or toes.