Some Pittsburgh-area steelworkers are being warned that taking off to watch the Steelers in the Super Bowl could cause "severe discipli...
Some Pittsburgh-area steelworkers are being warned that taking off to watch the Steelers in the Super Bowl could cause "severe disciplinary action."
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works has (below right) which states that missing work on Sunday or Monday without just cause will result in a Super Bowl-sized penalty.
Union officials responded to the news in a good-natured way. United Steel Workers International vice-president Tom Conway wrote an email that claimed the decision was only made because the employee r
elations manager hails from Philadelphia and, as such, has some sour grapes with Pittsburgh's presence in the game.
He suggests enlisting non-football fans to volunteer for the Super Bowl shift and to hold a postgame party for employees to watch the game on tape.
I'm sympathetic to both sides here. The owners have a business to run and can't shut down the largest manufacturing plant of its kind in the country for two days because of a football game and its aftereffects.
On the other hand, these employees are steelworkers who want to watch the Steelers game. These aren't folks working at a restaurant or a coal mine or in the emergency room potentially skipping out of work. They're Pittsburgh steelers who are trying to see the Pittsburgh Steelers game! Give the guys a break.
Then again, if you really cared that much about the game, wouldn't you have finagled your schedule weeks ago to make sure you're not on shift from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6? My buddy put in his notice that he'd be taking off the first two days of the NCAA basketball tournament about three months ago. Planning ahead has its virtues.
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