It has been building for some time now, I have admittedly not been wearing the supplied "safety vest" at all times while in the building. I admit that I should have been, and in fact have been for the last couple of weeks. Lately, the manager has been becoming more and more passive aggressive in his behavior, and I'm on the receiving end as I don't take any of his bullshit. He has been attempting to circumvent the seniority policy of the union when making work assignments, favoring his new "buddy", and I have called him out on it.
I have been reprimanded regarding wearing the vest, and I accept that, and have been wearing it at all times recently, but on a couple occasions when I was walking some 50 ft from my truck to the door of the building, I did not put it on. When asked why I did not have the vest on to walk that short distance, I questioned the legitimacy of that requirement, as there was no traffic in the yard at that time, and it would be nearly impossible for any vehicle to pose a threat to my safety even if there were traffic. These are the basis for his current tirade, and I believe it is nothing more than an attempt to exert some form of control.
Meanwhile, he walks around the building without any required PPE, no steel toed footwear or reflective vest, his wife will show up at various times during the day, bringing along his kids, and they will sometimes remain in the building for a couple of hours. His wife has also been hired as the building cleaner in recent months as well, and often shows up in the afternoon with one or more of the kids to begin cleaning.
I'm not looking for any sympathy, I fully accept my responsibility for my actions, and I'm not concerned about losing my job either should it progress to that point. I have never allowed anyone to use my employment as a weapon to control me and I won't start now, plenty of other employment available to an experienced commercial driver.
