Employee Suspended for Call From Marine Son

Employee Suspended for Call From Marine Son

abcnews.go.com

A Tennessee company has rewritten office policy and apologized to a military-mom employee after suspending her for taking a cell-phone call at work from her son in Afghanistan, where he is stationed as a Marine.



Crane Interiors of Woodbury suspended Teresa Danford for three days after she answered a call last Monday from Lance Cpl. Mark Rhyne. He has been in Afghanistan for seven months and only gets access to a sa

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Well here it is for all those who would believe that you'll get a fair shake from non-union employers who do not have to negotiate working conditions with labor.

Dictators seldom administer equitable treatment to their subordinates unless there is a price to pay for not doing so, hence the Egyptian uprising and the Wisconsin protest.

I think that the most important thing to note is the fact that prior to the employee going public with her story, the company warned her that another incident would lead to her dismissal and then after the ensuing public outrage, they backtracked and modified their policy.

Reminds me of the all the bank robbers sitting in jail who suddenly become remorseful for their crimes once they get caught and prosecuted. This is precisely why the Wall Street bankers not only feel no remorse, but continue their practices today. They are the fundamental equivalent of having the fox in the henhouse and they have yet to be caught and prosecuted.



abcnews.go.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

People just don't use their common sense. This lady should have been applauded for taking the call!

I have had employees in this situation, and I have seen them literally drop things, grab their phone and go outside. When they came back in and explained, I supported them 100%, some things take precedence over all else, and a kid in a warzone definitely gets 1st priority!

I was once in training for my job, and I had an instructor grab his phone and excuse himself. He didn't come back for 30 minutes, and when he did come back, he explained it was the first call from his Delta Force son in over a year! He couldn't even be sure his son was alive until that phone call!

This company should be ashamed of themselves even though they corrected it, and the supervisor responsible should be fired for not using human judgement!

reply to post by Flatfish

Well here it is for all those who would believe that you'll get a fair shake from non-union employers who do not have to negotiate working conditions with labor.

Really?
How you relate this incidence to the union issue is pathetic.

reply to post by Oaktree


Well I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I thought it was a fair assessment regarding treatment of subordinates when dictatorial powers are allowed to rule the day as compared to what happens when the masses are equally represented. I think this is the basic argument within the union vs. non-union debate.

Looks like that company just found a manager who is lacking judgement and discernment. Sometimes the qualities and character of common sense and empathy just has to kick in for a manager!

The only place where "zero tolerance" brainlessness operates without objection is in the public schools and prisons. No one expects common sense, wisdom and empathy to be operating in these institutions.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Dead on getready!

It makes me sick that the company supposedly knew about her situation and took its initial action against her so cold-heartedly.

But I tell you one dang thing, I'm proud as hell of all the citizens who put the thumbscrews to that company so hard and so very quickly!

If you know someone with a friend or loved one in the service and they need some help or understanding, please folks let''s all do what we can for them, even if it's just hug or a kind word.

Way to go Tennessee Volunteers!

Well it certainly sounds like the fair minded and good people of Tennessee have spoken out right on time. There are alot of good people in America. They outnumber the bad ten to one. I wish they had a stronger voice though.

reply to post by Oaktree


A union will make damn sure that if your kid is stationed overseas and they are made aware of the deployment that you will not be fired, reprimanded for taking a phone call from a soldier on current active deployment.

Without them the company would then be able to dictate every single second that you spend while on their clock. They would see you as a machine and not a human being. See how that connects?

Back to root topic,

Great for the mom, she should've been given a month's pay in compensation on top of her current pay.

Yet again a company caught red handed taking advantage of a military family and not a word out of The GOP or The Baggers. So much for caring about the military huh?

Hate to burst your bubble about unions but back during vietnam when people returned they even got turned down by some unions due to being combat vets - a friend who had a union job prior to being drafted returned and was told he was not part of the union anymore along with neither the union or the company employed vietnam vets.. He ended up reenlisting as couldnt get work in the civilian world and was k.i.a at bien hoa vietnam 5 months later.. Great unions lah.. disgusting that the woman was hassled over a call from her son in afghanistan.. It could have been the last talk theyd have as nothing is certain in combat zones..

Originally posted by Expat888
Hate to burst your bubble about unions but back during vietnam when people returned they even got turned down by some unions due to being combat vets - a friend who had a union job prior to being drafted returned and was told he was not part of the union anymore along with neither the union or the company employed vietnam vets.. He ended up reenlisting as couldnt get work in the civilian world and was k.i.a at bien hoa vietnam 5 months later.. Great unions lah.. disgusting that the woman was hassled over a call from her son in afghanistan.. It could have been the last talk theyd have as nothing is certain in combat zones..

I'm a big union supporter...but that is not the issue here and the subject is derailing the thread. I'm glad the decision was reversed, and the supervisor ought to be ashamed of himself.

reply to post by JohnnyCanuck


Apologies .. Didnt mean to sidetrack.. Yes its good the company reversed its decision in the womans case. Was attempt to point out that attitudes like here employer showed have been around a long time - it was wrong back then and wrong today..

Wrong is wrong. I don't know what unions have to do with this. That company should severely reprimand the manager who did this. Most companies have some type of rules against personal cell phone use while on the job but emergencies do come up and this was one.

As information, the Federal Railroad Administration prohibits the use of cell phones by on duty train crews. Crews are subject to a civil fine of up to $25,000 if they violate this rule.

The rule states "Family emergency, sickness or other excuses are not to be accepted, because an employee can use these excuses whether they are true or not." The FRA has been granted the power to access employee cell phone records and to demand these records from cell providers to determine compliance with this rule. Not to determine guilt.... to determine compliance. Go USA!

That company should be glad it wasn't me......I firmly believe in following rules and regulations but in this instance???? I would have DONE showed out!!!:"

reply to post by Flatfish

I thought it was a fair assessment regarding treatment of subordinates when dictatorial powers are allowed to rule the day as compared to what happens when the masses are equally represented.

Masses? What masses?
You do realize that 87.6% of all working Americans are not represented by a union, don't you?

That is an absolute vast number of Americans going to work five days a week (imagine that, w/o a union) where "dictatorial powers are allowed to rule the day"