October 18th, 2006 by Atomictumor
Knoxnews reports that a drug and slack crackdown at the Molten Salt Reactor here in town cost at least two people their jobs.
Apparently, according to the paper, Bechtel Jacob’s ballbuster squad inspected a ‘break trailer’ where they found employees watching TV, sleeping, and playing cards. They then decided to check the place for pot, calling in Roane County 5-0, and by golly they found “residue” in the trailer.
They then spread out, searched the cars in the parking lot and pee tested all 50 employees. Pot was found in one car, and one employee refused to submit to the test, so both of those peoples were fired. Four employees were found to be “non-negative”, and apparently they’re going to some sort of secret tribunal
Man, what happened to the day when people fought this kind of crap? I know, I know “But AT, marijuana is baaad, and its not legal, mkay?”, and I agree, whoever was smoking up at the office needs to go. However, theres no reason to fire somebody based on the possibility that they may have smoked it in the past 30 days at home, or in Amsterdam, or somewhere else completely unrelated to the job.
Seems like complacancy has dropped down on the American worker, and the corporate world is now capable of unreasonable search and seizure of your wee-wee provided that they give you a paycheck. This is still completely unacceptable to me, whether or not the position is a government job.
For me, tho, the best part is the last paragraph:
Most nuclear work at the Molten Salt Reactor has been suspended for several months because of a fluorine leak earlier this year. The cleanup plan called for additional training this fall and restart of fuel-removal tasks in November. It was not immediately clear if the latest incident would alter that schedule.
OK. So, what we have here appears to be employees with nothing to do but sit around the house, get high, and watch the tube.  All the sudden, the jackbooted Bechtel Jacobs thugs swarm the trailer, the break trailer, and get pissy that people aren’t being productive?  So they accuse all of them of being doped on the job?
Screw that. Hell with Bechtel Jacobs, and DOE, and this whole damn mess.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:49 am
Does Bechtel have some sort of random drug testing agreement with its employees when they hire on?
October 18th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Bos, I think they do. I know Y-12 does.
In any case, employers do have every right to regulate posession and/or use of certain substances (including legal substances like alcohol) in the workplace. A McDonalds manager would probably be fired for having weed in the office too; it’s just that in some environments (the molten salt reactor being one), an impaired employee is a much greater danger to himself and others.
There are other examples where use of substances outside the workplace is also regulated — like airline pilots, or companies that have a “no tobacco” policy for all employees (whether at work or at home).
The issue of substance posession or use at work is altogether separate from any disussion of legalization, I think.
October 18th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
I agree, and stated that in the post, that use at work should be prohibited. However, I think its intolerable for employers to extend this service to an employee off the job, for any reason.
October 18th, 2006 at 6:23 pm
Of course, if that company expects employees to steer clear of dope in their off hours…the employees can always not accept the job and work somewhere else. For that matter they could be self-employeed and set their own drug policies.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:13 pm
One of the many joys of self employment {disclaimer: my own policy is no illegal substances. Beer, however, is fair game.}
October 18th, 2006 at 8:31 pm
Making policy is a beautiful thing.
October 18th, 2006 at 8:59 pm
So is tenure.
October 18th, 2006 at 9:32 pm
lol…I bet.