U
UpstateFire
Guest
- Jurisdiction
- New York
I recently transferred within the postal service from a position that is not career (permanent) to a career position in another office. I was being paid $17.40 an hour and getting roughly 22 hrs a week working during the day.
The career job I interviewed for I was told is also part time, I would be getting on average 24-26 hrs per week at at least $17 an hour. I was told the position had two shift times, 2am - 6:30am and 5pm - 9:30pm, I expressed in the interview that I would need the morning hours do to the fact that I need to be available to pick my child up from preschool at 5pm. I was told by both the the supervisor and post master conducting my interview that this would not be a problem, there may be sometimes where I would need to cover the evening shift if someone was sick or maybe had time off but it would be rare. Seeing as I was already a postal employee, if offered the position I would simply transfer from one office to another and become career.
Within a few days I was offered the position and excepted it based on what had been discussed in the interview. A month goes by before I can officially switch offices with no communication from my new office about what day I am actually going to start. I go to the office the before I'm officially going to be their employee, I meet a different supervisor who mentions the position rotates and I am to come in the following day to start training at 2pm - 8:30pm, seeing as the next day was in fact this past Saturday the 4th there was no issue my child would be home with my spouse. I do however bring up again to the post master and different supervisor that I cannot work the evening shit as previously discussed because I need to pick up my child, again the post master says that this is fine not a problem. I also ask the supervisor if she can confirm that I will be paid at $17 an hour as I was told in my interview, she does not confirm on deny the amount I was told and the schedule is not discussed aside from me coming in Saturday to train.
I come in early Saturday to make sure I am on time for my new position, I am met by yet another supervisor who I have not met previously. She tells me she used to do the job I was hired for before becoming a supervisor so I figure she's a good person to ask about the position seeing as I'm new and early. She proceeds to explain to me that I was not given the correct information in my interview or hiring process. The position does not pay at least $17 an hour (problem number 1) and yes there are two shifts for my position but the schedule is set up that I am required to work 2 weeks in a row mornings and then 2 weeks in a row evenings (big problem number 2).
I asked her how much the position pays, she thinks around $16.70 ish (not happy but not terrible) then I ask where the supervisor is who did my interview with the post master. I am informed that the supervisor did not actually work for this office, she was a fill in from another office while she ( the supervisor I'm talking to) completed training for becoming a supervisor and is no longer working in the state let alone this office. She doesn't know why I was told the information about hours and pay that I was but it is incorrect and the post master knows that and there's no way to have me work just mornings (keep in mind I've told the post master twice and 2 different supervisors about not working evenings with nothing stating that would be a problem).
I train for the position while trying to figure out what to do about this whole thing with another employee who also happens to be my union rep for this position. She confirms that I was not given the correct information about the position in regards to hours or pay, though the post master should have corrected this information by this point. She also informs me that according to the union posting for wages in the hallway that I had not even been shown until this point says that my position is paid $15.28 an hour (more of a problem) not $17 or $16.70. The post master and hr are not in the office on Saturdays but she advises me to voice concerns first thing Monday morning when the post master comes in.
I'm on the schedule for 2am - 6:30am Monday morning so I figure I'll work and talk to the post master when he gets there. Both the union rep and I approach him to talk as soon as we see him out on the floor. I voice my concerns about both the pay rate and the hours that I had brought up to him multiple times before this point. He first asks the union rep what the pay rate is then back tracks that he can't make promises about pay and the position does require I work rotating day and night shifts, I tell him again, now with the union rep present that I've already told him multiple times I'm not available to work at 5pm because I have to get my child. His response is "so you can't do it, you don't want the job then?" he informs me to let him know if I want to give up the job and he'll call hr to see if I can just go back to my previous postal position.
I called hr instead of having him do it, I explain everything to them and they say they'll have management look into everything and see why I was given the wrong information and if I can go back to my old position. As of this morning hr has told me that there is nothing they can do, my old position is no longer available so I cannot go back to it. So because the position I have does require nights, if I cannot work those hours I have option to resign and apply to a different position or resign and wait for my old position to open again and reapply for that. So either way my option from them is to quit and be now unemployed if I can't work the position I was completely misinformed about.
What if anything can I do here? I was honest the whole time about when I could work, I gave up a better paying job with hours I could work for this career position. I told the post master, Saturday supervisor, union rep and hr, why would I knowingly give up a better paying job for a job that pays less with hours I know 100% I cannot work? The job posting and offer letter I received to accept the position says nothing about a rotating schedule and just a pay scale in regards to pay rate for the position. I did not knowingly accept what this job actually is and now I'm going to be unemployed.
The career job I interviewed for I was told is also part time, I would be getting on average 24-26 hrs per week at at least $17 an hour. I was told the position had two shift times, 2am - 6:30am and 5pm - 9:30pm, I expressed in the interview that I would need the morning hours do to the fact that I need to be available to pick my child up from preschool at 5pm. I was told by both the the supervisor and post master conducting my interview that this would not be a problem, there may be sometimes where I would need to cover the evening shift if someone was sick or maybe had time off but it would be rare. Seeing as I was already a postal employee, if offered the position I would simply transfer from one office to another and become career.
Within a few days I was offered the position and excepted it based on what had been discussed in the interview. A month goes by before I can officially switch offices with no communication from my new office about what day I am actually going to start. I go to the office the before I'm officially going to be their employee, I meet a different supervisor who mentions the position rotates and I am to come in the following day to start training at 2pm - 8:30pm, seeing as the next day was in fact this past Saturday the 4th there was no issue my child would be home with my spouse. I do however bring up again to the post master and different supervisor that I cannot work the evening shit as previously discussed because I need to pick up my child, again the post master says that this is fine not a problem. I also ask the supervisor if she can confirm that I will be paid at $17 an hour as I was told in my interview, she does not confirm on deny the amount I was told and the schedule is not discussed aside from me coming in Saturday to train.
I come in early Saturday to make sure I am on time for my new position, I am met by yet another supervisor who I have not met previously. She tells me she used to do the job I was hired for before becoming a supervisor so I figure she's a good person to ask about the position seeing as I'm new and early. She proceeds to explain to me that I was not given the correct information in my interview or hiring process. The position does not pay at least $17 an hour (problem number 1) and yes there are two shifts for my position but the schedule is set up that I am required to work 2 weeks in a row mornings and then 2 weeks in a row evenings (big problem number 2).
I asked her how much the position pays, she thinks around $16.70 ish (not happy but not terrible) then I ask where the supervisor is who did my interview with the post master. I am informed that the supervisor did not actually work for this office, she was a fill in from another office while she ( the supervisor I'm talking to) completed training for becoming a supervisor and is no longer working in the state let alone this office. She doesn't know why I was told the information about hours and pay that I was but it is incorrect and the post master knows that and there's no way to have me work just mornings (keep in mind I've told the post master twice and 2 different supervisors about not working evenings with nothing stating that would be a problem).
I train for the position while trying to figure out what to do about this whole thing with another employee who also happens to be my union rep for this position. She confirms that I was not given the correct information about the position in regards to hours or pay, though the post master should have corrected this information by this point. She also informs me that according to the union posting for wages in the hallway that I had not even been shown until this point says that my position is paid $15.28 an hour (more of a problem) not $17 or $16.70. The post master and hr are not in the office on Saturdays but she advises me to voice concerns first thing Monday morning when the post master comes in.
I'm on the schedule for 2am - 6:30am Monday morning so I figure I'll work and talk to the post master when he gets there. Both the union rep and I approach him to talk as soon as we see him out on the floor. I voice my concerns about both the pay rate and the hours that I had brought up to him multiple times before this point. He first asks the union rep what the pay rate is then back tracks that he can't make promises about pay and the position does require I work rotating day and night shifts, I tell him again, now with the union rep present that I've already told him multiple times I'm not available to work at 5pm because I have to get my child. His response is "so you can't do it, you don't want the job then?" he informs me to let him know if I want to give up the job and he'll call hr to see if I can just go back to my previous postal position.
I called hr instead of having him do it, I explain everything to them and they say they'll have management look into everything and see why I was given the wrong information and if I can go back to my old position. As of this morning hr has told me that there is nothing they can do, my old position is no longer available so I cannot go back to it. So because the position I have does require nights, if I cannot work those hours I have option to resign and apply to a different position or resign and wait for my old position to open again and reapply for that. So either way my option from them is to quit and be now unemployed if I can't work the position I was completely misinformed about.
What if anything can I do here? I was honest the whole time about when I could work, I gave up a better paying job with hours I could work for this career position. I told the post master, Saturday supervisor, union rep and hr, why would I knowingly give up a better paying job for a job that pays less with hours I know 100% I cannot work? The job posting and offer letter I received to accept the position says nothing about a rotating schedule and just a pay scale in regards to pay rate for the position. I did not knowingly accept what this job actually is and now I'm going to be unemployed.
