NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Would you risk your life to get to work?
So many this week called out because of the slick, dangerous roads.
And yet many Bridgestone workers felt compelled to make the risky drive to work.
Why?
They said they needed a note from local law enforcement to avoid punishment for calling out on a snow day.
It's a question of when an employee should be required to drive into work in severe weather.
And a local sheriff has questions for Bridgestone, a large employer in middle Tennessee.
During the past week of snow and ice, roads were obviously treacherous.
And yet the Coffee County sheriff found himself writing excuse notes for a snow day.
"I thought, well if you can't look out the window and see the roads are bad ... I couldn't wrap my hands around why we had to do all these individual letters," he said.
Sheriff Chad Partin has more pressing issues than excusing Bridgestone employees from work.
"I had multiple employees calling saying they needed a letter from the sheriff that the roads were bad," Partin said.
One local union contract states an excused absence is due to a "Documented Road Closure resulting from inclement weather."
Sheriff Partin says news reports on bad weather are apparently not enough.
Frustrated, he wrote an open letter to Bridgestone posted to social media reading in part:
"Stop having your employees contact the Sheriffs Department for a letter that said employee cannot make it to work...Most of all, if your employee says they can’t get out of their driveway then believe them!"
"It's unbelieveable when you get this snow and ice they want people to risk their lives," said John Wright, USW 1055 president.
He said people like Victor Shute are torn between keeping their jobs and risking the drive to work.
"You didn't have the option of calling and saying I can't make it?" Shute assked.
"I could have, but I would have been fired," said Shute.
Shute did make it to work, but was late, and with prior tardies he knew he'd be fired so he decided to quit.
NewsChannel 5 reached out to Bridgestone Corp America HQ in Nashville for comment, here's what they had to say:
At Bridgestone Americas, the safety and well-being of our teammates, contractors and visitors is our most important value. Negotiated agreements have long been in place between Bridgestone and the United Steelworkers, which address the impacts of inclement weather and related attendance policies and processes at our Warren County Truck and Bus Radial Tire Plant. Due to hazardous road conditions across multiple counties for several days now, Bridgestone had already excused absences for those teammates who could not travel safely to work during the recent winter storm.
It’s a sad reality that area animal shelters and non-profit rescue organizations face constant overcrowding -- with so many dogs, cats and other animals waiting for a forever home. Jason Lamb reports here that Metro leaders are working with those groups – including Critter Cavalry – to find solutions. I’ve fostered a dog from Critter Cavalry, so I understand the need is great. And I found my pup Domino through another local group, Proverbs Animal Rescue. Ultimately, it starts with all of us. Getting more dogs and cats spayed or neutered can help control the pet population – and ease the burden.
-Rhori Johnston
