Company limits bathroom breaks to 6 minutes a day [and gives bonuses to workers who never use it]

CNN ^ | July 15, 2014 | Patrick M. Sheridan

[grundle]

Spend more than 6 minutes a day in the bathroom at Chicago's WaterSaver Faucet company and you'll face disciplinary measures.

That's what a union contends the manufacturer is pulling: timing bathroom breaks and warning employees when they can't beat the clock.

The union, Teamsters local 743, filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board claiming WaterSaver unfairly disciplined 19 workers in June for "excessive use" of washrooms.

The company's human resources department described "excessive use of the bathroom as... 60 minutes or more over the last 10 working days," according to the affidavit. Do the math and it works out to 6 minutes a day.

The controversy goes back to last winter when WaterSaver installed swipe card systems on bathrooms located off the factory floor.

WaterSaver has adopted a rewards system where workers can earn a gift card of up to $20 each month ($1 a day) if they don't use the bathroom at all during work time.

[a fool in paradise]

A policy otherwise known as:

[a fool in paradise]

Once had a woman in the stall next to me, loudly yakking away on her phone, actually say, "hang on just a second, I need to switch hands, so I can wipe."

I repeat, DON'T BUY A USED CELLPHONE!

[dainbramaged]

Coincidentally, it was a shipyard in the Portland area, can’t remember the name since it was 35 years ago. Two week assignment from the naval architect firm in Seattle that was my employer.

[Albion Wilde]

One guy on the shift would clock in at 6am, then grab a newspaper and camp out in the bathroom for half an hour or 45 min while the other two of us worked.

"Got to take care of mah biologicals."

[IrishBrigade]

If they want to limit bathroom breaks, I guess they have the right; but 6 minutes a day is absurd.

...not if it’s in addition to the scheduled breaks...

[bgill]

This is the new desk chairs. The double holes for the conference room.

[CodeToad]

“I’ll bet the union already has 10 minute breaks every two hours. According to the article, the company is allowing up to six minutes bathroom time outside of breaktimes.”

There ya go. That is the truth of this matter. The company is protesting additional, unsanctioned, breaks, and the unions wants to make it sound like the employees get no breaks at all.

[TexasRepublic]

That’s a crappy way to treat employees.

[JimRed]

Does the six minutes include travel time from work station to bathroom and back?

[Slings and Arrows]

"LET MY PEOPLE GO!"

[ansel12]

Put in squat toilets, AND the cell phone blockers.

[az_gila]

Put in squat toilets, AND the cell phone blockers.

---

...and lower wattage light bulbs for the readers....:^)

[Iscool]

Wow, a 20 dollar bonus for one month...They are sooo generous...

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

Howabout you just keep a gatorade bottle at your workstation?

[Fresh Wind]

Next thing you know, the union will demand complimentary newspapers in each of the stalls.

[Rides_A_Red_Horse]

I've seen outhouses with “two seaters.” I've always wondered if anyone really “paired up” and used them?

It can be a bit awkward taking a dump in a stall in a public bathroom. I couldn't imagine dropping one while seated next to someone else.

[az_gila]

Just eliminate the bathroom all together with the Dilbert Cuborg 2000 -

http://dilbert.com/dyn/str_strip/000000000/00000000/0000000/000000/20000/3000/700/23774/23774.strip.sunday.gif

[poobear]

DOL Labor laws:
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/breaks.htm
Been around for years.

[DoodleDawg]

Been around for years.

Including, I assume, this part: "Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks."

So how do you know they got breaks at work?