DirtHauler
Senior Member
So I got drawn for jury duty last july while working full time for a non-paid leave type of company. Since we in WA you are allowed to postpone your service once, I resceduled mine for Jan of 08 thinking that I would be off of work for the winter. Not that I like to be off for the winter, but that is just the way I always seem to end up, on the short list for layoffs. (I don't kiss ass or work for free). I end up working for a major player in the area who has enough winter work for good people as well as the back stabbers (read ass kissing snitches who spend half the day on the hotline to the boss squeeling on other drivers).
Fearing that taking time off for my jury service might disrupt the project, I begin telling the dispatcher and my direct superviser in Nov. about my date. (Three people since we are a more chiefs than indians type of company when things get slow in the winter) Most just seem annoyed about the advance notice and ask that I just remind them a few days in advance. Well, my date to appear for service is WED JAN 9th. So MON JAN 7th I notify the 3 people again and even tell the Superintendant on the job about it. I inform them all that it is my intention to request to be dismissed so I can work.
I show up at the courthouse with the ~200 or so other people drawn for the same date and sit through the orientation. This is when I first got worried, they said the MINIMUM service is 2 days and that is only if you are not randomly selected by the computer or have a conflict of interest with the case that you are drawn to hear. Remember that I had only requested one day off as that all they had to do when they were drawn... Little did I know that the proceedure had changed on the first of the year when the new laws regarding jury duty were enacted.
They call 60 people for the first case, expected to last 6 weeks min. Not called, YAY. Second case is called for 35 people with a one week expectation. DAMN I got called 20th. They outline the case and I am sure that I am gonna get dismissed due to conflicts of interest (civil case that has both a construction element AND a truck driver element) WOOHOO I am glad that it looks like I am gonna be able to get out of there after all. NOPE I got bumped up to the box by all the other people who are dismissed for various legitimate reasons.
I called my Superintendant first, since he is the only one that seemed to even show the slightest amount of interest in my absense, when I got home. He get VERY UPSET and ask why I did not tell him sooner that I was gonna be gone so long... Well, I did not have even the slightest idea I was gonna be gone that long, and I called him as soon as I got home. (between 5-6pm) I guess he did not really want me to answer him because he interupted me and said I got to get someone for your truck, call me later and hangs up. Now I konw for a fact that we have 10 other trucks sitting right now with drivers laid off due to lack of work, and there are LOTS of independant trucks dieing to work which we hire all the time.
So I called tonight to tell him that they dismissed the jury till Monday because they have to do administative stuff tomorrow. I called to make sure that he was gonna have work for me, and I made sure to call him at 4:07, as soon as I possibly could. He gives me smug voice and says that he has replaced me cause he needs to keep that truck working. I call the dispatcher to see if he has any other work for me at any of our other locations and am told that I am back at the bottom of the driver list because I got fired from that superintendants job for not giving him notice that I was gonna be gone that long. :beatsme BTW this superintendant is very old school and what we call a screamer. One of the "Good ole' boys" did I mention his son is also a forman on this job?
Oh and as far as going the hardship route with the judge, someone said there wife had a cat scan for lung cancer that was gonna conflict and he needed to take her to the appointment. Judge told him to have her take a cab or rescedule And at that point I was sure I was gonna get dismissed for my conflicts.
So here I am, pissed off as hell since this is not legal or ethical for the company to do to me. We all know what raising a stink about this will achieve... nothing, since they can lay you off without cause at anytime, and will just blame it on work slowdown. Anyway, here I sit biting my tounge feeling raped for not only doing that is required of me by law, but doing something that is fundamental to our government. :usa
KK now I think I will go find a hobby till spring/summer when I got a chance in hell of getting an other dispatch. Thanks for reading this far and letting me vent my frusterations.
Fearing that taking time off for my jury service might disrupt the project, I begin telling the dispatcher and my direct superviser in Nov. about my date. (Three people since we are a more chiefs than indians type of company when things get slow in the winter) Most just seem annoyed about the advance notice and ask that I just remind them a few days in advance. Well, my date to appear for service is WED JAN 9th. So MON JAN 7th I notify the 3 people again and even tell the Superintendant on the job about it. I inform them all that it is my intention to request to be dismissed so I can work.
I show up at the courthouse with the ~200 or so other people drawn for the same date and sit through the orientation. This is when I first got worried, they said the MINIMUM service is 2 days and that is only if you are not randomly selected by the computer or have a conflict of interest with the case that you are drawn to hear. Remember that I had only requested one day off as that all they had to do when they were drawn... Little did I know that the proceedure had changed on the first of the year when the new laws regarding jury duty were enacted.
They call 60 people for the first case, expected to last 6 weeks min. Not called, YAY. Second case is called for 35 people with a one week expectation. DAMN I got called 20th. They outline the case and I am sure that I am gonna get dismissed due to conflicts of interest (civil case that has both a construction element AND a truck driver element) WOOHOO I am glad that it looks like I am gonna be able to get out of there after all. NOPE I got bumped up to the box by all the other people who are dismissed for various legitimate reasons.
I called my Superintendant first, since he is the only one that seemed to even show the slightest amount of interest in my absense, when I got home. He get VERY UPSET and ask why I did not tell him sooner that I was gonna be gone so long... Well, I did not have even the slightest idea I was gonna be gone that long, and I called him as soon as I got home. (between 5-6pm) I guess he did not really want me to answer him because he interupted me and said I got to get someone for your truck, call me later and hangs up. Now I konw for a fact that we have 10 other trucks sitting right now with drivers laid off due to lack of work, and there are LOTS of independant trucks dieing to work which we hire all the time.
So I called tonight to tell him that they dismissed the jury till Monday because they have to do administative stuff tomorrow. I called to make sure that he was gonna have work for me, and I made sure to call him at 4:07, as soon as I possibly could. He gives me smug voice and says that he has replaced me cause he needs to keep that truck working. I call the dispatcher to see if he has any other work for me at any of our other locations and am told that I am back at the bottom of the driver list because I got fired from that superintendants job for not giving him notice that I was gonna be gone that long. :beatsme BTW this superintendant is very old school and what we call a screamer. One of the "Good ole' boys" did I mention his son is also a forman on this job?
Oh and as far as going the hardship route with the judge, someone said there wife had a cat scan for lung cancer that was gonna conflict and he needed to take her to the appointment. Judge told him to have her take a cab or rescedule And at that point I was sure I was gonna get dismissed for my conflicts.
So here I am, pissed off as hell since this is not legal or ethical for the company to do to me. We all know what raising a stink about this will achieve... nothing, since they can lay you off without cause at anytime, and will just blame it on work slowdown. Anyway, here I sit biting my tounge feeling raped for not only doing that is required of me by law, but doing something that is fundamental to our government. :usa
KK now I think I will go find a hobby till spring/summer when I got a chance in hell of getting an other dispatch. Thanks for reading this far and letting me vent my frusterations.