I make heal bus go wee woo. There's a big push by management encouraging us ambulance jockeys to show up 15 minutes before our shift starts so we can start checking over the trucks and do shift prep until 2 minutes before shift starts, when we're allowed to clock in. That way we're in service as quick as possible. It never works out that way though because things break or night shift leaves the units a shit show, which leads to me catching a talking to by management for not coming in early. It's “important” that I be a team player and help out. Nice guilt trip, but my response is always the same.
“I will not work for free. Are you going to write me up for refusing to work without pay? If it's not important enough to pay me, then it's not important enough to do.” That usually ends the conversation.
It aggravates me, but not nearly as much as my (usually older) coworkers who not only show up 15 minutes early and voluntarily work, but talk shit about and to those of us who don't. Pressuring the younger staff to be exploited because they don't know any better is infuriating. No one should have to apologize for valuing their time and labor. Those ten minutes add up to hundreds of dollars a year for our lowest paid guys, and even when I explain this to them they still go along with it. It blows my mind.