how far can an employer make you travel

i have looked around online but i am finding different answers.
we are having issues with a product at work.
we get this product from our sister company in south africa. they machine parts for john deere.
there have been several failures in the field.
in short we have to UT test all the product.
in my shop i have about 12,000 bars worth of material i am working my way through.

not they are talking about sending me to chicago for a month to UT product there an then to iowa for a month.

i really dont want to go but i dont know if i can be forced.

if it comes down to go or lose my job i go.
if i dont have to i would rather stay.

a reply to: TinySickTears

Look at your contract of employment. If it doesn't state categorically that you may be required to travel to other parts of the country in relation to your current position, I would speak to your manager as soon as possible.

a reply to: TinySickTears

basically you need to be assertive about your concerns about this moving - if your contract doesn't already state that this high frequency of travel would normally be expected.

if it isn't working for you you might need to put on your big boy pants and search for other employment

a reply to: TinySickTears

Well, did they make you sign any papers when you were hired?
Did they give you a sort of starter package?

I know in my last two jobs I got a massive package of information, and my most current one does state that if I am asked to travel I need to go, unless I can come up with a reasonable excuse, ie medical condition, or I have young children, etc.

If there is no such conditions you can decline, but think of it this way, they hired you to do work, rely on you to get contracts and jobs done, if you can't they will find someone else who can, and an offer like this will most likely be out of your grasp in the future.

when i took on the UT work i was told, no contract that to have to travel for a few days is a reasonable expectation.
i agreed and i get that. some customers want to see the UT done by their guy.
a few days is not 2 months.

there is a disaster of epic proportions going on and i am in the thick of it.

i have about 600 hours of nothing but UT to do. i figure i can do it in about 11 weeks.
so after that it would put me leaving right in the holiday. i cant be gone for that.
plus this # needs to get done like now.
a bonus for me is i am getting Ut certs out of it.
400 hours required for it

pretty sure they pay for hotel and food.

if i am told to go i would like to know if they can actually terminate over this.
i didnt know if there was a labor law or something.

in the end if i am told i have to go or kick rocks then i go.
i think they give bonus money for each weak in the form of a pre paid credit card.

one of the other guys got sent somewhere and thats what he said.

originally posted by: strongfp
but think of it this way, they hired you to do work, rely on you to get contracts and jobs done, if you can't they will find someone else who can, and an offer like this will most likely be out of your grasp in the future.

i know.
i feel that pull. and honestly i would like to see these facilities further down the line from my process. its always cool to meet the customer. i would like to gain a contact of sorts as far as me being connected to the company and maybe being called for UT.
the actual few day trips every so often.

what they want is serious time away.
im a family man. when i get off it is always the 3 of us.
i dont know how i can go that long and not have that

a reply to: TinySickTears

With the company I worked for before retirement they sent me to different places around the country and once to Mexico. I have spent as much as 9 months on temporary assignments at a time.By company regulations , you have to go home at that 9 month time limit.I thoroughly enjoyed each and every time. But , no there is no law that states you have to go. The only thing is the contract you signed when hired on.Mine had a temporary assignment clause.
As stated before , speak to your manager on this issue.
And usually , once back at home , I was awarded bonuses . Either monetary or extra week or 2 of paid time off. They actually called it "leave time"

Think of it as a paid holiday, to see the world. Not sure about Chicago though lol.

If you do this, you may well get the next promotion. Negotiate a deal, ask 'What's in it for me.?'

Make the contacts! This is how people end up getting job offers at twice the pay!

After all, it is just one emergency job. Go for a week, come back for two, go for another week.

This is an opportunity!

P

you guys are right.
i just dont cope well when i am not home.
this could turn into quite a lot of money for me.
level 2 guys get paid very nice. 50% pay increase for me....roughly
i dont see how that is contingent on me going. it is if i am fired it does.

but me going would help the company in a huge way and i would get to meet 2 different high purchasing customers.

My Employer makes me go to hell every day fot 12 hours, and sometimes complains I dont stay for 13

a reply to: TinySickTears

My husband's employer sent him to China. The very place where the explosion happened. (Tiajin) His work has nothing to do with that situation... just a coincidence. But I did not want him to go there!!!

But it's the other side of the freaking planet. Exactly '12 hours away.' In the 'future,' as in... it's 11:30pm Sat night where we live, and it's 11:30am Sunday morning where he is.

I keep asking him to find out the winning lottery number, or what stocks to invest in, since he's in the future, lol...

a reply to: TinySickTears

Depends on your job description and whether or not you have a contract specifically stating conditions for your employment. I would contact your local Employment Office and ask them what your rights are on this matter, some states allow companies to fire you at will for any reason and some states do not.

If there are family members that require your support or rely on you for any reason that may be all you need.

If they fire you, you will at least be eligible for unemployment. Whatever you do don't quit, at least give 2 weeks notice.

Also, attorneys will give you a consultation for free on this matter.

is your state an at-will employment state? if so then they can of course fire you for anything and nothing at all, so i'd say you definitely need to go if you dont want to risk your job

if however your in one of those contractual employment states then you might have a chance at fighting it and staying.

If your employer is insistent you do the UT renegotiate your compensation.

By sending you the company will save beau-coup buckage by not hiring a certified independent contractor.

a reply to: TinySickTears

If you can take a step up the ladder and make yourself more valuable to the company then I would personally dig deep and do it, take one for the team as it were.

A couple of months is not all that much in he grand scheme of things and the potential for a better future could be worth it.

A good friend of mine is in a similar position, 3 months in the middle east with a wife and 2 kids at home, He is seeing a whole new side to life, he gets calls and video's rom the kids daily and the financial benifits plus the fact that he is eating and travelling on expenses and even gets his laundry done is for him worth it.

His wife is coping well and for the both of them absence makes the heart grow fonder

a reply to: TinySickTears

If it comes with your job and is in your job description and you cant or dont want to do it....youre screwed because you took the position.

Check you job description when you hired in. I think if you dont do it...you wont be keeping your job.

In the UK when claiming Job Seekers Allowance (unemployment benefit) you are expected to take employment within a reasonable distance which they consider to be up to 90 minutes travelling time. Using Iain Duncan Smith's logic, the distance would probably equate to the speed of a X43A Scramjet ...11250 miles.



I don't claim JSA btw

originally posted by: mysterioustranger
a reply to: TinySickTears

If it comes with your job and is in your job description and you cant or dont want to do it....youre screwed because you took the position.

Check you job description when you hired in. I think if you dont do it...you wont be keeping your job.

not in my job description now but it will be soon. i did not come on board as a ut tech and on my application when asked if i was willing to travel i said no.

this is not official yet but the word i got today is they are going to pay for my classes for level 2. i will probably be out of state for a week for that.
them paying for my classes with give me the level 2 cert that is recognized by the asnt which means it is mine and the cert comes with me if/when i leave. some companies certify internally but if you leave your cert stays.
so i will get the level 2 certification. i will get a raise to the tune of about $12 an hour...roughly. i will thenhave to sign a contract saying i will stay with my company for 2 years and it will require some travel if/when needed.

none of it is official yet but i am about 90% sure it is going to happen.

while away at school they pay for food and hotel. after that if i am on assignment they will pay for food and hotel as well as giving me x amount as a per diem and x amount that they call an employee loyalty bonus.

there is no way i can turn this down.
i would not be doing only ut but i would be doing it a lot. the general manager is very much seeing the benefits of having UT abilities in house and the metallurgist they brought in from our sister company is constantly in his ear about it.
he said it makes the company 'the #' in his words.

goes a long way to landing new customers and satisfying existing ones.
we have a metallurgist on staff that is a phd and the gm takes a lot of pride in that. holds a lot of water.

a certified level 2 ut guy would hold a lot of water too.

as it stands before i took this on we didnt do ut in house. if it was decided it needed to be done we contracted it out. if a customer wanted it done on stock they purchased from us both companies would settle on an external contractor to do the job. big ass hassle.

once i get through the classes is for example our customer in iowa is having a serious situation and my gm thinks the situation warrants it he can appease them by saying he is sending his ut guy to handle it.

works well for everyone.
after 2 years i could decide to leave the company or i could decide to renegotiate and sign another which is what i would do.
i would renegotiate that they send me out for level 3 classes which would include another hefty raise and then i could write my own ticket. ride my contract out and then pretty much do what i want.
i could stay on or i could contract myself out to do ut and write processes for other customers.

an idea of what can be made. my company called a few places that contract out. the best figure they got for their guy to come do that i am doing right now was 140k
that is crazy money.

seems like it is going to work out if i can handle the stress

a reply to: TinySickTears

Sounds good to me. Nothing is easy....and anything worth doing is worth doing well.

We have to grab the bull by the horns and hang on. This may be your bull. Hold on, take any training they'll provide. Go for it.

Not everyone gets the opportunity, training, benefits, travel, income and experience. Your future down the road looks bright....pack light....there's no real map, so follow the road ahead of you!

Good luck and God bless....

a reply to: mysterioustranger

pretty much what i told my wife.
this particular situation is a disaster with how much there is to ut but i enjoy it.
there is no way i can turn down all this training and wage increase like that and a job contract.
the best thing about all of it is the certifications stay with me.

pretty much guarantees that i will have no worries finding work.

im all over it