Let management know when you need help.Example, someone called in sick, the load was late, or you were asked to check or unload a truck. Note anything that may have kept you from getting your job done on time. It is much easier for the Union to defend members that did not complete their work assignments and received a written warning than it is for falsification of time records.įor those of you that find yourself pressured to work off the clock, our advice is as follows: Violations of this nature are very serious. The discipline is usually given to members for falsification of time records and where there is no employer knowledge the employee may be summarily discharged. Any way that it is done it is wrong, a violation of the contract and wage & hour law. Another example is punching out for lunch and going back to work or working through breaks.

The classic example of working off the clock is either starting work early before clocking in or staying after you punch out for the day. It is extremely rare that a manager would ask you to stay and work off the clock. So if overtime is not allowed, and all the work must be completed, many members conclude that they must stay off the clock to keep from getting in trouble. But, members are generally told by management that there is no overtime allowed and they need to finish all their work before they go home. That would be fine if the company was willing to pay them for the work that they were performing. Sometimes they feel so overwhelmed with work, that the only way to complete their daily tasks is to work beyond the allotted time. Members work off the clock for various reasons. Lately, we have seen an increased amount of discipline, in the form of suspensions and terminations, to our members for working off the clock. There were always those few members that thought they had to stay over, off the clock, and get more work done and look like a hero. Working off the clock is not new to our industry. The term “work off the clock” simply means that you are working for free. Working off the clock may cost you your jobĪs union Reps, we constantly lecture and warn our members’ not to work off the clock.

Clock on and off