AWOL

So your facility has issues with people being habitually late which includes yourself. Your ATM is tired of it and has basically said without words that habitual offenders will be charged awol when late.

Don’t be late to your job and you won’t have to worry about being charged awol. It’s not hard. Plenty of people have long commutes in large metroplexs and aren’t late as a regular occurrence.

Multiple controllers taking advantage of not having to be on time results in bullshit like this.
Controllers don’t forget you have until the entire first hour of your shift to bang out sick. So if they start pulling shit just bang out and go home. If your getting worked up cus your co worker is less than 5 mins late you need to get a life.
 
Can’t believe the ATM would even be involved in this not a OS or OM. Must be a tiny facility where NATCA has no power or is collaborative to a fault.
 
Maybe the ATM was out of line and maybe he wasn’t. I’m not really concerned with that aspect of your post. My point still stands. Show up to your job on time, on a regular basis, and this doesn’t happen.

If yourself and other controllers werent showing up late plenty of the time then this wouldn’t even be an issue.
I've already illustrated how the manager continues to adjust their standards so that they can continue (what I view as) their vendetta, so no, you don't get to say this wouldn't be an issue even if everybody showed up on time 99.999999% of the time. But yes, I definately realize you have no interest in the original purpose of the post and what management may or may not have done incorrectly. You only have interest in what I may or may not have done wrong.

I agree we all should be on time to work. But thankfully we have so many options in the contract to provide us from suffering pay cuts. Stuck in traffic? No problem call in and inform them of the situation. If your facility is chill, easy excused absence. Late everyday? Not sure that’s gonna fly.

The point of this whole thing that is being ignored is, he requested LEAVE and it was APPROVED. ATM then CHANGED the APPROVED LEAVE to AWOL. That’s the point. How would you feel, you wanted to take 2 hours of leave on the front, approved, and then find out on your next check atm said “fuck you, here’s AWOL”
Damn, someone with comprehension abilities. Cheers!
Can’t believe the ATM would even be involved in this not a OS or OM. Must be a tiny facility where NATCA has no power or is collaborative to a fault.
ATM is new, and has about 6-8 years of total FAA experience. The issue here isn't whether NATCA has any power at our facility, everything the ATM does gets resolved in due time. That doesn't prevent the ATM from their shoot first, ask questions later policy. And they genuinely think they can run the place like a retail shop, where everything they say is law.

We're optimistic they'll be promoted soon, though!
 
Well, here's the truth. The ATM doesn't care. They aren't going to get a raise if you're on time or get punished if you're late or adjust your time card. The actual truth here is that some of your coworkers complained to the flm. The FLM documented talking to you at some point, even if you thought it was casual conversation. The OM got involved, and now it's the ATM documenting it.

From what I've heard you are the problem child and i'd watch your back.

THAT being said, just take sick leave. I needed a few minutes extra to rest for my shift or whatever.
 
My two cents... the contract does not guarantee that the tardiness will be excused; it only says that it "may" be excused when you provide acceptable justification (Art 29, Sec 3). If it were me, I'd see how long Google said it should take to get to work from the house on average and then try to figure out what time you left that day (smart doorbell camera, home security system time, etc.). If Google says it takes you 20 minutes to get to work, but you got stuck in traffic and it ended up taking you 25, I would say that's acceptable justification. If they still want to play the AWOL game, you can always file the grievance on your own. You may ultimately have to settle with getting paid leave substituted for your AWOL but that would depend on your reasons I suppose. It's definitely worth fighting as long as you can provide tangible justification/evidence.
 
The actual truth here is that some of your coworkers complained to the flm. The FLM documented talking to you at some point, even if you thought it was casual conversation. The OM got involved, and now it's the ATM documenting it.

From what I've heard you are the problem child and i'd watch your back.
? ? ?
Ok, I'll grant you the benefit of understanding why you reached your conclusion, you're clearly not the only one. But oh holy fuck is it off. And it's legit hilarious because I can count on 2 fingers how many times I've been talked at by my FLM in the last 9 months. Those were for my PMASs, which were exactly the same as every other PMAS I've had in my career.
FLM is awful person who I actively avoid speaking to. They're not even fully recerted from their most recent investigation into them.

Seems a lot of people think based on what I wrote that I'm the problem child of the facility. Maybe you all just hyper focused on me saying I've been late "plenty". I'm regularly on time, but the point of noting "plenty" is that in the course of my career I've been late enough times that it's happened under different managers and supes, and Ive had opportunities for excused and using my own leave... Nobody... controller, supe, manager, or otherwise has once said anything about it. Which is why it's easy for me to view this development in the light of a vendetta or retaliation.

My colleagues know I'm open to criticism, and I double checked with several to verify.. no, I'm not the problem child, I'm not even A problem child. I'd have to look at Cedar for the clearest picture, but a quick review of EEX shows I've been approved for excused absence twice this year for a total of 41 minutes.

Our actual black sheep, the one person who would throw everyone else under the bus, the one person we all complain about frequent lateness... they were the first to get the AWOL.

Seems a couple things need clarifying... I didn't ask for or expect excused absence in this case, I called facility in advance to tell them I'd be up to 5 minutes late, when I arrived I asked CIC if I could use five minutes of my own leave, which was approved.

Also, extent of the ATMs involvement is that they recently gave some type of direction to the Supes that has since resulted in at least 3 people being assigned AWOL. Indeed they aren't financially incentivized to charge AWOL, but they weren't financially incentivized to delete our worked credit, either. Unsure if ATM specifically knows about my case. I'd be slightly surprised, since at a minimum punitive action requires some sort of conversation/documentation.
 
If it were me, I would be filing grievances left, right, and center. IMO, you should have asked for excused absence since it is permitted in the contract. Use of annual/credit leave is subject to staffing and workload which is why they were probably able to pull the fast one on you to get it annulled into AWOL. And since it sounds like you and/or your facrep aren't using the allowances in the contract, you are by proxy allowing management to run over you with it. And even then, you can always pull the sick card if need be.

The credit situation also doesn't jive... why were they deleting credit? Were some BUE's going to a CWS which didn't allow credit or something?
 
If it were me, I would be filing grievances left, right, and center. IMO, you should have asked for excused absence since it is permitted in the contract. Use of annual/credit leave is subject to staffing and workload which is why they were probably able to pull the fast one on you to get it annulled into AWOL. And since it sounds like you and/or your facrep aren't using the allowances in the contract, you are by proxy allowing management to run over you with it. And even then, you can always pull the sick card if need be.

The credit situation also doesn't jive... why were they deleting credit? Were some BUE's going to a CWS which didn't allow credit or something?
I'd have asked for excused, but the one supe who was there was the one I actively avoid interacting with.... they have a talent for turning any interaction into one that's belittling/passive aggressive, and I'm long done giving them that opportunity.

I don't have all the details on the credit situation, just that the manager was brand new to our facility (and fairly new to management), authoritative, and (to reiterate) acts as though we're a retail environment subject to their every whim. It was rectified and people got their credit back. It's possible that it was as simple as the ATM thinking that they didn't get the proper permission to work credit (which was also rectified because we already had an agreement in place), and so they could just take it away.

In terms of a grievance, I definitely have the grounds, but since I'm not the only one, rep is just putting together a package to shove at the GM.
Should I be doing something separate from this?
 
I'd have asked for excused, but the one supe who was there was the one I actively avoid interacting with.... they have a talent for turning any interaction into one that's belittling/passive aggressive, and I'm long done giving them that opportunity.

I don't have all the details on the credit situation, just that the manager was brand new to our facility (and fairly new to management), authoritative, and (to reiterate) acts as though we're a retail environment subject to their every whim. It was rectified and people got their credit back. It's possible that it was as simple as the ATM thinking that they didn't get the proper permission to work credit (which was also rectified because we already had an agreement in place), that they could just take it away.

In terms of a grievance, I definitely have the grounds, but since I'm not the only one, rep is just putting together a package to shove at the GM.
Should I be doing something separate from this?
If you have actual evidence that you were late because of traffic and it can be justified, request excused absence. When it's denied, file the grievance. Done.

In terms of a grievance, I definitely have the grounds, but since I'm not the only one, rep is just putting together a package to shove at the GM.
Should I be doing something separate from this?
I didn't see this part, but that's really a conversation you need to be having with your rep. Not the internet.
 
If you have actual evidence that you were late because of traffic and it can be justified, request excused absence. When it's denied, file the grievance. Done.
This was general heavier-than-normal traffic. No accident involved. Not sure I'd be able to provide evidence in this case. Insomuch as I didn't ask for excused absence here, though, the issue is altogether different.

I didn't see this part, but that's really a conversation you need to be having with your rep. Not the internet.
My rep views this in the narrow lens of an individual issue. As I mentioned off the bat, I'm interested to see if there's insight into the (possible) bigger picture. As it stands, the rep is firm that management team is out of line and the AWOL will be reversed, but beyond that doesn't sound like any further repercussions, which means its only a matter of time before ATM/supe finds a different standard to change and then takes punitive action on it.
 
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
 
This was general heavier-than-normal traffic. No accident involved. Not sure I'd be able to provide evidence in this case. Insomuch as I didn't ask for excused absence here, though, the issue is altogether different.
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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