As a bagger and with the union, I am guaranteed a minimum set smoking of hours per week. But lately I have been given LESS than the minimum amount. I have talked to management and that did as much good as lighting a wet match underwater. So what I'm wondering is this; I have been scheduled way under again. Will I get caught if I take it upon myself to take the hours owed? For example: if I am guaranteed 16 hours and they give me 12, can I just work the extra 4 hours on any given day to make up the hours owed? It's not like I'm stealing, I'm going to work the hours.
You should ask your union steward, but most likely you would get in more trouble than its worth. While they are required to give you those hours, you could be disciplined for working over without permission, especially since I suspect they're doing it on purpose and just waiting for you to mess up like that.
What did your manager say? Talk to your union rep and file a grievance. You may can actually get back pay for those hours. Try to claim hours from someone who has more than you.
As a bagger and with the union, I am guaranteed a minimum set smoking of hours per week. But lately I have been given LESS than the minimum amount. I have talked to management and that did as much good as lighting a wet match underwater. So what I'm wondering is this; I have been scheduled way under again. Will I get caught if I take it upon myself to take the hours owed? For example: if I am guaranteed 16 hours and they give me 12, can I just work the extra 4 hours on any given day to make up the hours owed? It's not like I'm stealing, I'm going to work the hours.
If the manager doesn't fix it, the next step is to file a grievance with the union. Not take the hours on your own.
Are you sure your contract states 16 hours as the minimum? Some new language has been snuck into some of these new contracts. Ours is a minimum of 12 hours.
4-8? hours a week?!? Damn!! By the time union gets hold of their cut or even the normal taxes your lucky if you have even a penny. And that's ONLY if try miscalculate. It's working for free! Something I'd NEVER do.
There has been one other store I use to work at. It got so bad there with hours, some courtesies were pocketing found cash rather than turn it in (I was one of those courtesys that did it, now that I'm promoted I don't really need to. Haven't seen loose change anymore anyways), and sometimes they would come in in their own on their days off and work doing misc things without being noticed. Like cleaning the pit area of where we get deleveries, cleaning filthy carts in the back etc. They did this on their own and only 2 have been caught because they let themselves be seen