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Comment on Union leaders demand change following Kroger employee death

ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

His supervisor and those in charge of writing this policy at Kroger should be charged with manslaughter. In the heat we’ve been dealing with, especially this summer, limiting breaks in which a worker can cool down and hydrate is aggressively cruel and obviously deadly. A worker can’t will themselves to overcome basic thermodynamics. Workers should always feel empowered by support from their direct supervisors to take breaks when they need them, regardless of company policy. I don’t care if some jerk abused the system once, no company’s profit is worth a life.

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ConfuzedAZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
Most legal action will not involve the direct supervisor, and it probably shouldn’t. A direct supervisor could have stepped in here and possibly made a difference. However, the idea that a direct supervisor will by design know when to violate company policy in order to safeguard an employee is not feasible… The company managers and those who are responsible for implementing state laws for protecting employees need to be held accountable. Direct supervisors should be documenting the policy issues that are a problem, and helping the union stewards to get the policies changed. In a perfect world… Unfortunately most companies hate working with unions and managers are too removed from the issues that are harming employees. The current system sucks.

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- ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
  
  However, the idea that a direct supervisor will by design know when to violate company policy in order to safeguard an employee is not feasible.
  
  This just is not true.
  
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  - ConfuzedAZ@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
    It’s 100% true. You can not count on a supervisor BY DESIGN to violate policy whenever it may become necessary. Its a recipe for a fatality. In specific circumstances the supervisor should recognize when the situation no longer is covered by the intent of the policy and act. But expecting a supervisor to violate a policy BY DESIGN is inherently flawed, and hence will not translate into actionable legal accountability.
    
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AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago
I kicked people out of my kitchen because they weren’t sweating enough (first sign of potential heat stroke) over a decade ago. I can’t imagine not giving people breaks in this heat. And food service doesn’t have “required breaks,” which is why I made people take them.

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