10-23-2012, 07:35 AM
My understanding from friends who work for the county is that the sign guy had tacit permission to locate his equipment in county facilities and occasionally printed items for the county at no charge. And the post-election pot lucks were a long-standing tradition attended by a wide range of employees who participated in the election process, including higher ups. It sounds to me like all of the "violations" that led to the firings were longstanding, which is why the union may be crying foul over the firing. If management could show documentation concerning past warnings, then they'd be justified in firing at will. If not, then it's clear why things became messy. I had a boss who documented almost every interaction with union employees (with copies to the affected employees and the shop steward). She was well regarded by union and management employees alike because she played by the agreed-upon rules, treated her co-workers and staff with respect, and fostered an environment where everyone was working as a team towards a common, well understood goal. None of this can be said for the way the elections office has been managed...