I'm wondering how others handle crappy, back-stabbing co-workers. My poor DH has been having problems since transferring to the plant he's now at. The work atmosphere is terrible. Management has this philosophy of 'competitive teamwork', an oxymoron if ever I heard one, and all it's created is an atmosphere of back-stabbing, stealing ideas, taking credit for work done by others, laziness, and brown-nosing. One particular co-worker of my DH (call him MM) is even taking credit for projects my DH did before MM was even hired! DH has been with the company for more than 20 years, while the others at this plant have been here a maximum of 4 years, as it's a new plant. DH is supposed to write out instructions for the night shift workers to do plant chemistry at night, since he works days only, but they won't ever do it, and management won't take anyone to task. Now, the plant is going union and word has come from the union that no one is to ever talk negatively about a 'union brother', so you can't complain to management or the union reps about co-workers who are endangering your job and your life by not doing the job they are supposed to do. And, yes, in the plant where DH works, it can be life threatening if water chemistry is off-high pressure boiler tubes can rupture, causing explosions, etc...

I know this has gotten long, but I'm really wondering how people handle this type of situation? It seems DH's hands are tied and he gets more frustrated every day. Thinking about transferring again, which would be very hard on kids, as we've moved twice in 8 years, due to lay-offs, etc. All the stress has not done my dieting any good at all either. I feel so bad for DH and just would like to go kick some butt, but I know that can't be done. Help!

Its really hard to respond to this, since your husband's safety is at risk in his work environment.

We have a union where I work. Management isn't allowed to be in it. I think thats the way it usually is with unions And if someone's safety/life is threatened because someone else isn't doing their job and management knows and does nothing about it I think you can even sue the company.

But all in all, this sounds like a horrible place to work. If it were me, I'd get out of there. No amount of money is worth that!

Ha, that sounds exactly like where I work, except I'm in an academic environment and not one where my actual safety is at stake. Rather than dealing with union rules, I just can't complain to the boss about the people stealing my work because they're like family to her.

Personally, I can see no room for advancement here and I can't take the stress much longer, so I've started applying to other jobs. This won't require a major move for me. Are there other companies locally where he can work?

If safety is a concern, there are things your husband can do.

First, he needs to go to a supervisor and make a safety complaint. If the supervisor does not listen, he needs to go to HR. And if HR doesn't listen, he needs to go to them again and say that, if the safety concerns are not addressed, he'll be reporting the issue to OSHA.

He can't be fired for reporting a safety violation, at least not legally, and it is unacceptable to stay in an unsafe situation just because management wants people to compete.

My DH feels like he can no longer say anything to management, because they label anyone who gripes as a 'complainer' and won't listen to anything they say anymore. A couple employees who got labeled that way have been fired, so that's part of why they are now in union negotiations. We've been contemplating changing companies, but there's really nothing here, especially with similar salaries, and DH sure hates the thought of starting all over with no vacations, no sick time, etc.

to mandalinn82- He's also thinking about contacting the HR dept, but even though complaints are supposed to be confidential, since he's the only chemist at this plant, management and all the backstabbing slackers will know who filed the complaint. So, we're just not sure how to handle the issue yet.

I just can't believe how bad things are at this plant compared to all the others he worked at for this same company. The turnover rate here is unbelievable! Looking from the outside, I blame management here and at the corporate level, since they are not investigating why so many are fired from here or just give 1 day's notice and leave. Management here just seems to lap up the attention from the suck-ups and seems to enjoy keeping the employees disgruntled. But, the union is at fault, too, since no one can say anything about a 'union brother' who isn't pulling his weight. It wasn't like that in the plants I used to work in (before marriage and kids-20years ago!) The union steward regularly took to task employees who weren't doing their jobs and let them know that all the rest of us weren't there to keep them from having to work. Has all of society gotten this way in the last few years?

Thank you all for the input. I'll be talking to DH, especially about contacting HR and possibly OSHA.

I believe OSHA reports can be anonymous - or at least where the company doesn't get told who contacted them.

Yes, OSHA reports can be made from their website, and you can request that it be anonymous to the company you are filing the complaint about. Just STRESS in the complaint that it's confidential and they will honor that.

From http://www.osha.gov/as/opa/worker/index.html - quoted in part:

What can I do if I think my workplace is unsafe?

... You may file a complaint with OSHA if you believe there may be a violation of an OSHA standard or a serious safety or health hazard at work. You may request that your name not be revealed to your employer. You can file a complaint on this web site, in writing or by telephone to the nearest OSHA area office. You may also call the office and speak with an OSHA compliance officer about a hazard, violation, or the process for filing a complaint. ...

There is a lot of info on this linked page in particular that I think you & your husband would be interested in.

Good luck!

Thanks a lot all of you! I really appreciate all the advice. 3FC has some of the best and most helpful people!