Let the games begin.

[Tobin S.]

Fuckin' workplace politics.

A guy who has the hardest driving job in our fleet is quitting. There's only one other person who knows how to drive his truck and knows the routes he has. They trained me for 2 weeks on the truck 7 months ago so they'd have a third stringer just in case of emergencies. But it's one of those deals that you have to have done for a while to be good at. I don't think I'd make it through a day in that truck right now without it taking 18 hours with the strong possibility that I'd fuck something up. And it's a quarter of a million dollar truck. You break something on that thing and it's going to be expensive.

The routes for the truck are different every day of the week and there can be up to 65 stops a day. The guy who is quitting told me that it takes about a month to get to know the routes. Also, for that truck you have to work most holidays.

So, anyway, this guy's quitting and his back-up who has years of experience in that kind of truck and knows all of the routes is going around saying that I'm going to be the replacement. All of the drivers that work there now think I'm going to get stuck with the job. Here's the thing though: It's been three days since the guy gave notice and nobody in management has said a thing to me.

Now I do have a plan if they try to stick me with it. I know it might happen, but I'm not the logical choice for the job. I'm thinking they might try to hire someone in to do it who has experience with that kind of truck. But if they ask me, I think I've got some leverage here and I'm not going to do it unless I get something really good in return. The worst case scenario is that they will try to force me to do it without any extra compensation. I am a good driver with lots of experience, a safe record, and no points on my license. I can walk out of that place and be driving for someone else within a week. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I've got enough self respect that it could.

I'm a quiet, introverted guy. For some reason many of the drivers there mistake that for weakness and stupidity. If they'd stop and think for a second though, they'd realize that I've only been working there a year and I've already got one of the best gigs in the joint. There are some good reasons for that.

This ain't no union shop so it's pretty much every man for himself as far as negotiating for a better deal goes. I'm not going to play the whipping boy when it comes to this.

[LNM]

1. Good Luck, Tobin.

Maybe you could suggest they hire someone else if you really don't want the job.

[Tobin S.]

2. Thank you. That would be in their best interests I think.

And I think that's what they'll try to do. It's always good to have a Plan B, though.

[HeiressofBickworth]

3. This is the kind of problem

that can exist without a union rep. It's to your credit that you know your limitations on this particular truck. It's also to your credit that you have "one of the best gigs in the joint." Now you just need to protect your position.

My first thought (and granted, I'm a cynic) was that the back-up driver doesn't want the job either. And since you have "one of the best gigs in the joint", he may be angling for YOUR job. And the way to make that position available is to get you out of it -- like "promoting" you to the available one. You need to watch your back on this deal. Don't be flattered into something that you don't think is right for you, no matter how much they tell you how great you are. JMHO

Work politics are a bitch.....

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

[Tobin S.]

4. He's not angling for my job

It requires that you break a sweat here and there and he's got it pretty easy right now unless he has to fill in for the job in question, which is rare. Maybe about 2 weeks a year.

I'll let you guys know how it goes. Hopefully they'll hire someone in and it will be business as usual.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Good luck, my dear Tobin!

This sounds very interesting, and I'm looking forward to hearing how it all works out.

I know you can take care of yourself, and anyone there who doesn't know that is in for a surprise.

Hang in there!

[Tobin S.]

6. Thank you, my dear Peggy.

All of the thinking and analyzing could be for nothing, I guess. But it's better to do it and have nothing happen than not to and be blindsided.

[MiddleFingerMom]

7. You've given me countless reasons to have all the faith in the world in you.

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Breathe.
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And it sounds like you have an upper hand no matter WHAT direction this takes.
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[Tobin S.]

8. Thanks, MFM

I think it comes down to a problem that a lot of working people have. They think that they are at the mercy of their employers, when really it's the other way around. They just don't see it. I wish the guys I work with could see it. We'd all have it better if they did.