Union officer in trouble

[donnascarlet]

What is the name of your state?undefinedMichigan.

I am a union official working for a county owned facility. Today at work I attended a union mtg during the workday using my lunch and coffeebreak to go there. I did not leave the site but these are paid lunch and coffebreaks.

I was gone 35 minutes, combined break and lunch is 45 minutes. When I got back I was informed that I was going to be given a verbal warning for attending this mtg without notifying my boss that I was going. I was under the assumption that if this was my lunch and break I could do this without telling them. Am I wrong? They told me I could not do any union business without letting them know first. They said my coworkers are complaining because I am not holding up my end of the work. When I asked for them to back up any of these statements they refused. My coworkers do not have to do not have to tell anyone when they come or go or who with. Also the other members of the people who attended the mtg do not and did not get in trouble for attending the same mtg. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[John/nyc]

Donna,

What did your union president say about this?

 

[donnascarlet]

Michigan

My union President was upset and ended up talking to the personnel director who stated that I got a verbal because I had not informed them that I was leaving for union business. I thought they could not make a union person be held to a higher standard? No one else does this. Also was told by the dept head that I had to notify her about the change in lunch and that all employees do this. Not one of them do this. I asked many of my coworkers about this.

 

[cbg]

I'm just guessing, and my union experience is limited and over 20 years ago, but in the private, non-union sector an employee usually has to get specific permission to run their break and lunch together. In some states a private, non-union employer is not PERMITTED to let an employee take their rest and their lunch breaks together. Any chance that this has something to do with it? It was literally the first thing I thought of when I read your post.

 

[donnascarlet]

It is done quite often at my facility, running break and lunch together. By the way I should tell you also that we are not a private entity but county owned. Not sure if that changes anything or not.