written up for leaving without permission at the end of a 12 hour shift. and a rant about GM and people who don’t work here telling me I have it made.

This was probably 10 years ago but a post in malicious compliance reminded me of it. I work at general motors and a few years ago they were getting around the “can't force us to work more than 12 hours” law by making us sign a paper on Wednesday saying we didn't want to work over 12 hours on Friday. We only worked 12 on Friday nights because day shift didn't come in the next day when my shift ended. Anyway my grandma died and I was out on Wednesday for bereavement but asked on Thursday for the paper and was told it was too late and if they needed me I would be forced to work. I fought with my group leader and got written up for it which the union did nothing about and told me again that if I was needed I would be forced to work over 12 and it wasn't technically forcing me because I didn't say on paper that I didn't want to work it. So Friday comes around and at the end of my 12 hour shift no one has told me that I am needed yet so I leave, I walked out with my team leader and she didn't say anything. The next day I was written up and given 3 days off without pay for “leaving without permission”. GM is not what it used to be, and our “union” is not on our side, especially after the government bailout which gave the union a share of GM profits and essentially bought them out and I am so sick of everyone telling me that GM is such a good job and I should be happy to work there. Over half of my plant right now is full of “permanent temps” that make half what I do until the get hired in but never do get hired in because the union allows them to keep those people as temps for up to 2 years rather than the 90 days it used to be when I hired in and any time off resets it. we have a yearly 2 week shut down that apparently counts even though the plant is down. They have cut and outsourced everything they can and the entire plant has gone to hell. It is to the point that they can't give people a commemorative shirt for our millionth car to roll out of the plant because nobody wants the outside world to know they work at GM and think they actually have money.