Illinois Tollway Junior High!!!!!

Yes folks I think at this stage of the game this name for the Authority is appropriate! Status Quo was the agreement on breaks and in my book Status Quo means business as usual! The Authority is denying the fact that they said Status Quo on breaks so they are implementing 2-fifteen minute breaks and 1-half hour break-in some cases these will be scheduled breaks.








In some cases folks are being told that they can not leave their desk for a drink or snack unless on break, can not have food or beverages at their desk, can not talk unless they are on break and have to leave their desk at break time! Perhaps Junior High is too tame-maybe Correctional Facility is more appropriate! And yes they are doing this in the name of the contract!!!!???













I don't know about you, but if something is not really broken why fix it? There are folks who have been taking 1 hour lunches for 20 years and the operation still worked.





















I thought being a Tollway that we operated in a business environment- I didn't think we operated like a factory. I am hoping for our intercom to be equipped for a horn that goes off to indicate to people that it is time for their break!























So if you are given a scheduled break you take it!!! It doesn't matter what is going on it is your scheduled break!


















If you are told to sign in and out for your breaks based on the needs of your department-you do it in that manner that the Law has set down for breaks. Do Not Loose Your Break Time to the Authority! They clearly don't deserve your break time!











What if something comes up????

I'm on break!!!!!!!












There were a couple folks who had coffee pots at their desks they were told that they could not have them any more based on the contract!!!!???? Okay whatever contract they are looking at that we haven't seen!!!! I am hearing that this rule has been in place since the onslaught of the space heaters! I find it ironic that nothing has been said about appliances before and the Authority took the time to mention this at the very same quarterly meeting they did the contract over view! If there is such a rule we want everyone's appliances gone-not just a few!!!! I think we can all agree that there is just some bad members of management and this is were we make the Contract work to the letter by filing greivances!!




There are members of management who feel their operations have run fine the way they have been set up and do not want to be locked into their employees doing 2-15 minute breaks and 1-1/2 hour break, however they are being told this is how it is going to be done! So the Authority is not only micro managing their employees, but their management staff as well. Why have managers lets just have the Executive Director and the Chief of Administration call all the shots I am sure they are better equipped to tell the different departments how they should be operated!





So let the grievances begin-you are being treated as less a person because you are in a union come to us we will file!!!

















As far as charging us for Authority sweaters because we can not wear our own sweaters in a building, whose climate controls are God awfully managed, I was at that subcommittee and nothing was mentioned to this affect. The only thing we were told we would be a charged for was additional polos, outer wear was going to be provided at the Authority's expense.









So for now until everything is cleared up you will feel as though you were back at school and worse like you were in a Catholic school-God knows I went through 12 years of Catholic school-I thought they were bad!