I'll leave it at this... use the contract to your advantage when you can. Honestly, it sounds to me like you got your hand caught in the cookie jar on this and you're begging the rep to try and pull a rabbit out of a hat to allow you to keep showing up late (as you said, you've been late "plenty"). If management wants to go the disciplinary route on this, there's probably very little you can do if you aren't able to provide actual evidence on why you're late, and the lame "heavier-than-normal traffic" argument likely isn't going to win any wars or grievances for that matter. Next time, take a picture at least.
Giving you the benefit that this isn't sheer trolling, your previous responses were more productive, and I'm having a hard time following your train of thought. You went from "I'd be filing grievances left and right" to "if they want to go the disciplinary route, there's probably nothing you can do".
There is no "disciplinary route"... I've already said a half dozen times the AWOL will be reversed, and heck one guy is even saying AWOL itself doesn't even constitute discipline, so that comment was pointless.
There's no "begging" going on either. The grievance was in the works before my case even started.
And theres no "cookie jar", because Im using my own leave.
As far as "taking pictures", this was the same dumb crap management started to tell people. Dumb enough to suggest it, but smart enough not to put the request into writing. Goes against federal employee guidelines on handheld device use, and in our state is illegal. But beyond even that, how does a picture of traffic change anything? I could provide a picture from any day of the week, I could grab a picture off the internet.
And if your instinct is to say that the manager can dig into the photo to find out more, then Ill just say that by going out of their way to find the "gotcha", they'd be wasting more of the agencies time/resources than they'd save in the long run.
AWOL isn't punitive in and of itself. Discipline can be persued due to the AWOL however.
All the FLM has to say is that they are investigating that the leave was correctly approved, and AWOL is assigned until they figure it out. You eventually get your leave approved but Its their version of a warning shot. Unless the bargaining unit is willing to continually get in investigations and give statements over you not coming to work on time, you better make this a one off.
Maybe I've dealt with more petty managers than a lot of you but that time and attendance shit isn't a fight you want with management. If you're late 3 times in a 2 year period, a competent manager can have you suspended on that third time
Seems questionable. FLM *could* say they're investigating, but that would be a lie. Nobody has said anything. If nothing is said/grieved, this would simply sit. Probably my bias as I've never had pay forcibly taken from me, but it sure as fuck seems punitive.
And what in your example constitutes "late" 3 times in 2 years? If it's simply AWOL, then fine, but as I've noted this is my first time in 10+ years with AWOL. The odds I would end up with 3 instances over 2 years are slim to none.
If you think that they can turn around after approving excused absences and front-side leave 3 times and then say "oh, you've been late 3 times and we're suspending you", then you're under a misguided impression.
Upon further review the 'bad apple's at your facility is probably the reason this is happening. Your approval for leave use in on a recorded line, the phone to the facility. File a grievance and say it took you three hours to fill out and you consider the matter resolved with that refund.
Eh, 35% chance it's because of them, 65% chance its ATMs power struggle.