Seeking justice
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Florida
I'm formerly district supervisor of drawbridge operations in Florida. Under the state contract my position was strictly prohibited in operating a drawbridge except under emergency circumstances. Bridge operators are restricted to 10 hour shifts. I was being forced at threat of imprisonment, civil penalty, and termination, into operating drawbridges in excess of 80 hours weekly and up to 72 hours consecutively without sleep or rest. After challenging the legality, ethics, and safety of this, as well as refusing to operate a bridge for public and personal safety, after doing so 48 consecutive hours, I was terminated for "job abandonment". The motivation behind the company's actions is a $1000 per hour for not having an operator on duty. This has gone on for years and several of my predecessors to the position and employees were forced to resign or terminated for the same reasons. FDOT was the contractor and oversaw the companies operations, signing off on all of these practices.
I've had several free consultations but no one seems to care or be willing to help. I have several health conditions compounded by these events. Two of my employees had strokes on duty while having to work extreme hours. We were literally tortured being made to stay awake for days at a time at threat of imprisonment. The news here in Jacksonville, FL is running our story next month; more important than our compensation, I'm afraid if legal action is not taken these practices will continue until someone is seriously hurt or killed.
I've had several free consultations but no one seems to care or be willing to help. I have several health conditions compounded by these events. Two of my employees had strokes on duty while having to work extreme hours. We were literally tortured being made to stay awake for days at a time at threat of imprisonment. The news here in Jacksonville, FL is running our story next month; more important than our compensation, I'm afraid if legal action is not taken these practices will continue until someone is seriously hurt or killed.