*how* wrong was I??

[deputy37]

Last week I booked out of my 1600 hr shift, FT job, (Dispatch) around 1400 with absolutely SEARING pleurisy. I could barely drive, was crying, and praying for death. Went home spent quality time in a steamy shower, took some Rx, laid down... and 2 hours later was FINE.

That's the way pleurisy works. It's either deadly or your fine... no 'lasting effects.' So, I call work, try to "unbook." Say, "I feel MUCH better now, can be in by 1800, yadda yadda. They say shift is filled, but will pass it on. Supervisor calls me back. I say how bad I feel for booking, but you have to decide at least 1.5 hours before your shift... I say about FIVE TIMES I can come in... she says nothing. I say, "hokay, anyone else books, whatever, PLEASE lemme know."

Mind you, at this point my 6.5 hours of OT from the week have goon *poof* into straight time. I'm using VACA since I've only got 2 hrs or so of sick time... so I am MOTIVATED to go fill the shift. Waffly supervisor does NOT say to come on in.

So, I crash another 2 hours or so, and then get up, get dressed and run into town for errands. Grocery shop, stop at the Muni PD I work PT for for my paycheck. They say "hay, we're executing that warrant tonight... wanna go?" I say "SURE-- but you're going to have to vouch for me that I knew NOTHING about this when I booked out..." they agree. I am VERY up front. EVERYONE knows I booked out of job #1. I am not getting paid, it's ride-along.

While at the warrant I did very little except search 2 females, and make a call to poison control to id pills. Through Dispatch of course.

Well, now everyone is ****ed. Mostly jealous (several other dispatchers are PT patrol and one tried to leave a shift he was THERE for at the last warrant... sux to be him)

There is genuine consensus on everybody's part except the supervisor's that I tried to UNBOOK. Supervisor said "it's open to interpretation." Well, thank god the phones are taped, coz I know what I said, the people I talked to know what I said, the supervisor just has no spine, wouldn't make a decision, and was faces with ****y people in the a.m.

She calls me into her office next day, asks about it. I was honest, and said I was honest the night before... hell, I could've told Muni that I'd go but only if I wasn't on the air and nobody knew I went... they would've complied... and THAT is what I think would have made it wrong... It went to the boss. So far, no action on his part, except to call my Chief at Muni PD... where my boss even admitted I tried to UNBOOK but still went out to play... Chief said, "then why are you calling me?" He's fine with it, just talked to him today. I said it wasn't the most politic choice I've made...

so.

How wrong was I? Fire away...

[InSane1]

NEED MORE INFO HON.... How fast do you acrue Sick time? And why do you only have 2 hours of it? How long have you worked for the department????

Do you take a lot of sick time? You know where I'm going with this? **yanno, the whole cry wolf thing*

I just don't have enough information here to get a feel for the departments feelings about this. From the looks of it... You did what you needed to do.. but I'm thinking they might be ****ed about underlying issues...

[deputy37]

oh, Insane, of COURSE it's about underlying issues..

We accrue 8 hrs of sick a month. I used 3 days (all I had) the very beginning of the year for the chest cold from hell where I had no voice. No, I don't abuse sick time...

BUT... I'm always on the stump for one reason or another. Be careful how well you do your job, coz you'll make the oldtimers look bad kinda thing. I'm VERY motivated, I LOVE Dispatching, I try very hard to think ahead and out of the box.. and some of the more "difficult" officers and depts like me back. That's not being prideful, it just is.

So YUP, had someone else done this, prolly wouldn't have gone this far.

I'm actually pretty revved up to be called on it. I was HONEST. I TOLD THE TRUTH. If they try to zing me for that... well... let's just say truth, honesty and ethics are NOT a part of our supervisory scheme at this point in time... Which, I think, is exactly why they *won't* call me on it... we'll see.

[spaz]

like my mom said.
if you sick, you sick. stay that way until you are better.

i worked at a place and someone would call in sick and then come into work to pick up thier paycheck. DOH. (happened to be her last too )

[InSane1]

How long have you worked there?

calculating 8 X 12= 96 hours per year.

Does it carry over from year to year???? I suppose it does since you used 24 hours at the begining of the year. So last year that means you used 70 hours of sick time, which equals 8.75 days. see equation below:

96 hours from 01/02 to 12/02
minus 3 sick days=24 hours
remainder of sick hours you say you have = 2 hours
total sick hours left from last year = 70. (although I'm even giving you a break because January is over because you accumulated 8 hours of sick time this month as well which would actually bring your total to 104 hours of sick time from 01/02 to 01/03.

So you are saying that you have only 2 hours of sick time left (AT THE END OF JANUARY) out of a possible 104? No wonder they are ****ed.

HEY.... You asked... I still love you tho.

[deputy37]

naw... you have to factor in the two weeks off (80 hours) last May when I had laryngitis. FELT fine, had no voice... and we earn 8 hours a month, but one day off is 10 hours of sick. Plus you have 16 hrs/year personal time which comes out of sick time. I use all of those 16 hours when my shifts on Sundays conflict with Church.

and yes, I do use up my sick time here and there because I've been sick more at this job than ever before. Left my old job with more than 70 hours on the books.

Oh, and I almost always have a Dr's note when I book out... for just this reason... in fact, had the note for the Acute Bronchitis top o' the month... that said I may not feel up to snuff for anther 3-4 weeks...

It's not about the math... wish it were that simple. It's about me TRYING TO UNBOOK and come in for the shift...

[InSane1]

You still havent answered the question:

"How long have you worked there???"

Am I being a smart ***???

[deputy37]

werked at Dispatch for 3.5 years. (and you don't get sick time the first 9 mos during probation lol!)

Interesting, my boss called the Chief of the muni I played with. BOSS said "Yeah, she tried to UNbook but the shift was filled" Chief said "Why are you calling me?" Chief is of the opinion that I'm off the hook. I tried, shift was filled, I lost all my OT etc.... what I do with that night is MY bidness.

hmm.

Insane, you're just humouring me, I know it...

[ 01-31-2003, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: deputy37 ]

[Pigskin]

I read your post about the pleurisy but had no idea what it was. Then that night my daughter-in-law called us to come watch the baby while she took our son to the hospital due to it hurting for him to breath. He has asthma so the worry was that he might have a collapsed lung. The ER doctor wrote it off as a strained muscle & sent him home with some pain relievers. The next day I was talking to a co-worker & told him how late I had been up & why. When I described my son's syptoms, he said it could be pleurisy. His wife had it one time & he explained what it is. I immediately called my daughter-in-law & told her to ask the doctor they were going to that afternoon about it. The doctor confirmed that it was pleurisy & gave him the proper medication & prescribed three days of bed rest. It seems the asthma & breathing treatment deteriated the wall of his right lung & caused the problem. Seemed odd to have read it in your post & then have it hit close to home.

[InSane1]

Okay SO,....... 3.5 years....

1st 9 mo= 0 sick hours
last 3 mo of that year =24 hrs
+ 1 yr= 96 hrs
+ 1 yr= 96 hrs
+ .5 yr=48 hrs
+ 1 month=8 hrs (sorta giving you that last month)

Total= 272 hours of sick time in 3.5 yrs (plus a month) you've taken off about a month in sick time... 34 DAYS during 3.5 years? Almost seven weeks worth of sick time.

You remind me of this lady that works at our department.. she takes sick time as she accrues it. NO WONDER THEY ARE ****ED.

I have worked at my job for 3.5 years and I have 100+ hours of sick time. I accrue the same as you. A day a month. Sorry man.. no pity here.

You need to start taking vitamins. they prolly call you a hypochondriac behind your back. HEY.. You asked for honesty.... Don't get mad at me... Notice how no one else is saying nothin... CAUSE THEY KNOW WHAT I'M TALKIN ABOUT....

They don't want to hurt your feelings hon....
BUT I DO... just kidding...



Okay.. You know what I'm sayin right? STOP USIN IT AS YOU ACRUE IT.... definately a cry wolf thing your fellow workers are ****ed about.

[deputy37]

lol!!!

you're right, of course, you're the only one brave enough to keep it up...

OK.. more math... 3 weeks (120 hours) off in January of 2nd year when Mom had brain surgery for an Anuerism. Came out of sick and vaca...

AND, bereavement for my great Aunt, and close fambly friend who died... I think at 2 or 3 days each... we only get bereavement for SIBLING or PARENT... no grandparent (don't have any) or anyoen else...

AND... used extra personal time last year to do my LE Precert course...

I still can't do numbers, but I'm out less than once every four or five months or so. I *don't* actually use it as I accrue it. Problem is when I'm out, I'm OUT... for a week...

Naw, it's STILL not about the sick *time,* it's about the fact that I played, and was HONEST about it.

I'm not saying it was the most politic thing I've ever done... but I TRIED TO COME INTO WORK.

next???

[InSane1]

lol.. I'm gonna tell you right now.. Quit while you're ahead.. because the more you tell me.. the more I get disgusted.

Yes...... you do abuse the sick time.

the first year you say three weeeks.... and that was 120 hours,... which you admittedly say wasn't all sick time, some was personal time. Hate to break it to ya angel.... but I'm sure they are looking at it as I stated in my above posts...

Are you a male??? or female????

[jellybean40]

I gotta say, i earn my sick leave and annual leave as i work, and i also feel it's mine to use as i wish, when i wish. i know the Union rules and i stick by them. but i also dont go to work when i'm sick, and put my germs around everybody else (like tons of people i work with do). i dont owe my job anything but a day's work when i'm there. the way they treat their employees does not inspire loyalty... it's my job, not my life.

I dont however abuse sick time, thankfully, as i ended up having to use 3 months with a severe ankle injury, and a month with gall-bladder surgery (they wouldnt let me come back on light duty, and the doc wouldnt let me lift for 2 weeks). But like i said, i do use it when i need it. just my 2 cents...

[ 02-01-2003, 08:33 PM: Message edited by: jellybean40 ]

[JKT]

Deputy 37, using Insane1's total of your leave time, 272 hours, and your stating that you work a 10 hour day, that leads me to believe that you have taken 27 days off in 3.5 years.

27/3.5 = 7.7 days per year.

I wouldn't call that excessive. Average, maybe, but not excessive.

BTW, from what you said, you tried to do the right thing, they didn't accept.

Hope things get better....

[InSane1]

lol Sure..stroke his ego man...