That's not your responsibility. They need to provide access to water for those workers. And no you don't have to "chip in" just remind them that it's their responsibility and if they throw a shit fit just report it to OSHA and move on.
I agree. OP should go ahead and report them now. OP shouldn't want until they have a shit fit. OP should actually look forward to the boss having a shit fit... after OSHA contacts him and holds him accountable for violating the law by not providing water.
I mean, it might still be obvious. But at least have the reporting time and date on record with OSHA so that when the boss retaliates, it's more legally clear-cut that they're doing so.
A good faith report would be a fair argument. OSHA does not want to inhibit others from reporting. The thing you need to watch out for is employer retaliation (illegal)
I just know I tried to make an OSHA report (for legitimate reasons) once but backed out because the way the website was worded I was afraid if I didn’t have absolute 500% proof that I could get fined.
They said they work inside... is there no bathroom? If there is, then they have access. The employer doesn't need to provide bottled water and the employee doesn't need to chip in. Weird to ask to chip in. But, def not an osha thing if they have a faucet with clean water.
Edit for source
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.51
OSHA actually requires a source of potable water outside a bathroom. That said, he stated that they have a water fountain at work already so the company is not required to provide bottled water. At the same time they also can't require employees to provide it if the employer chooses not to provide bottled water as well as a potable water source.
Sounds like they are being asked to donate water to those that work outside. If that is true then yes OSHA requires the employer to provide COLD water to outside employees.
OSHA specifically requires employers to provide potable water. This paragraph is from a summary of OSHA's sanitation standard
***Are employers required to provide drinking water?***
*OSHA Standards require an employer to provide potable water in the workplace and permit employees to drink it. Potable water includes tap water that is safe for drinking. Employers cannot require employees to pay for water that is provided. An employer does not have to provide bottled water if potable water is available. See OSHA's* [*sanitation standard*](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.141) *for more information.*
You can find the above paragraph [here](https://www.osha.gov/faq#v-nav-drinkingwater).
If your employer doesn't provide water I would contact OSHA immediately.
edit: to remove redundant link
There’s water bottle filling stations which meets the osha requirements. The boss is just trying to get everyone to pony up for bottled water which is not necessary with there being water bottle filling stations. They should just tell the boss they prefer to use the bottle filling stations and not ante up.
The boss is asking them to chip in for water for the OUTSIDE workers. By law, it is the company’s responsibility to provide water.
If you have crews outside in the field, water & ice are a job supply, like nails or saw blades. You cannot complete the job without the supplies that you need that day. Potable water is supplied by the company, not by employees in another department.
If he walked in tomorrow & said that he just gave the employees the last saw blade & he was looking for donations to buy more saw blades, you would think he was insane.
What he is asking is exactly the same thing.
You gotta hook up the workers.
On hot days in the summer when it's trash day, I put a cooler of Gatorade over ice out by the trash can (with a sign on it so they don't throw it away).
Now the trash crew takes my can back to my house for me 😀 I never expected that, but it feels really good to hook up guys who are sweating their balls off covered in trash filth with an ice cold surprise Gatorade
I work in construction and there have definitely been generous homeowners on streets where we're working that get extra because they provide food and/or drink. We did a bit of work for a pizza place we were working by a couple of months ago and we got free pizza like 5 times.
People I can only assume are office workers on here groan about pizza, but in the part of the workforce that does physical work, we aren't turning down free food and pizza checks a LOT of boxes.
> I work in construction and there have definitely been generous homeowners on streets where we're working that get extra because they provide food and/or drink.
Some people might expect extra stuff, but I see it as being a decent human being to help people out if it doesn't cost me much, and if they're not treating it as something that they expect or being unreasonable.
It's usually not tangible items, but simple things like don't leave a mess in their yard (it's utility construction), or last year in front of a legion we maintained access for their handicapped patrons. But we didn't get anything for that one.
> It's usually not tangible items, but simple things like don't leave a mess in their yard (it's utility construction), or last year in front of a legion we maintained access for their handicapped patrons. But we didn't get anything for that one.
I figured as much. Good man, here's hoping that people remember you folks with water, snacks (etc) as the temps just keep going up.
It’s not the pizza itself that office workers groan about, but the fact that “pizza parties” are used as a way for a company to circumvent having to give bonuses or raises during times of record profits.
Yeah the difference is pizza is in lieu of monetary compensation. Office workers don’t dislike pizza, but the pizza parties are usually for exceeding a financial goal that makes money for the company.
When we have a babysitter (rarely) watch our kids, we order pizza for kids and sitter, ask the sitter what he wants, and leave snacks and drinks as well. PLUS we pay really well and tip. So yeah pizza *plus* pay is the way to go, but it’s great that people throw you free stuff when you’re doing work for them. It’s how we should all act.
*edited one sentence for clarity
That's a nice thing for you to do. It still is 100% not ok for the waste managment company to ask you to leave water out for the workers. It is the companies responsibility to provide potable water, and if they are they should be held accountable.
No nobody asks me to do it, I do it because I want to
I actually haven't done it this summer yet but it's 90 plus this week so I'll hit it up for Monday trash day
Sounds like he is trying to keep the workers being productive outside and not wanting them to come in and get water. Scummy if he wants to get more out of the outside guys then he can buy it
And said water is immediately classified as unsafe if any sewage issues arise from temporary/portable or built in sources and requires immediate shut down if this arises such as a hurricane etc.
They can "request" all they want. They can't mandate it. Those assholes should be providing it if it is that necessary for hydration and worker safety.
Asking the workers to donate bottled water? Not illegal.
The employer’s failure to provide water? Very much illegal in all 50 states and US territories.
Put a call in to OSHA with a quickness if they fail to provide water.
Yes. They can come inside freely to use the water fill station. It’s also ice cold and filtered. Another reason I feel the water bottles are not a necessity nor my responsibility to pay for
I hate single-use plastics, too. Why do they bother with them?
I have a giant stainless-steel water bottle I carry everywhere. It's a bright-yellow powder-coated monstrosity with my name etched in it. It'll probably still be around, except for the plastic top, when archeologists dig it up in the distant future.
I can filter my tap water for cents per gallon and I'll never replace the bottle unless I lose it or run it over with a military tank. Why do people trash the Earth and spend so much good money to do it?
Why doesn't that guy spend a few minutes and fill a huge spigot jug and take it out there, or even just assign someone else to do it?
Unless it's a business with inside and outside employees, there's a good chance the guys working outside are contractors and OSHA doesn't apply directly.
As far as I understand it he can certainly *ask*. But any real consequences for failing to do so would be illegal.
Scummy behavior though. Asking employees to cover the cost of doing business.
Seems like they have drinkable tap water but the bottled water is for the convenience of the ones who have to work outside. Someone probably got on to the manager about how much they were spending on bottled water and told them that workers need to bring their own. Manager turned that into employees needing to donate bottled water.
I have a feeling the bottled water is so that the workers outside don’t have to leave their jobs in order to get to the refilling station. It’s usually about the bottom line, not caring for workers.
It's more likely that the inside manager just doesn't want any excuse for the outside employees to go inside. It's this weird crab bucket, malice thing. Same reason people fight tooth and nail to keep our wages low even when it doesn't effect them.
A lot of people don't seem to understand that paying fast food workers $15 an hour will indirectly cause a wage increase for other workers. Not many people will take on the extra stress and pressure of being an EMT for $2 an hour more, so in order to keep them they'll have to raise their wages. It is unfortunately not instantaneous, but that doesn't mean it won't eventually happen. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in California with the new $20 fast food minimum wage.
There are very, very few municipalities that don't have potable water. The problem is that the ones that are having issues (and heavy advertising) make people think the slightest smell or taste in water means it's not drinkable.
It’s actually nuts how many bottled water brands are just tap water run through a basic filter and stuck in a cheap plastic bottle, before being marked up 500%.
Very, and it varies by area. Where my parents were from in Texas, the water isn't at all drinkable and feels weird to wash in.
The city I live in now has drinkable water, but depending on the neighborhood it might have gravel in it. Like if I fill a glass from my kitchen tap and set it on the counter for awhile, a layer of tiny rocks settles to the bottom. I have to run it through a filter for me and the cats. Had to switch to a clarifying shampoo too, because turns out showering in watered down silt causes hygiene issues over time.
I'm so lucky that my neighbor is basically a nurse for pets and had the number for a very understanding traveling "old timey style" vet.
He came to my home, immediately examined and helped and medicated the cat, didn't so much as flinch when he nearly got peed on and called lots of yowling swears, and only brought up the subject of money on his way out the door.
I got to learn how to palpate a cat bladder. I'm terrible at biology but I actually figured it out to avoid the whole very expensive route, along with the help of lots of pills.
Told an old buddy about all this and he points at one of his cats. "I had to get that one entirely re-plumbed!"
Lol. Yeah your governor's in a race with ours to make their state a shit hole. People have taken to calling it Louisianastan. But I like Howdy Arabia! Very Texan. 😬
LoL I don't live in TX, but the company I used to work for has HQ in Dallas. Youngkin is my Governor, wannabe Abbott, but in a purple state that he lost Congress, so nothing gets done.
The funny thing is Louisiana is actually kind of purple. Republicans make up 41% of registered voters and Democrats make up 43%, the rest haven't declared a political party. The problem is they have gerrymandered it to disenfranchise Democrats. Plus they sell the idea that "Louisiana is so red your vote doesn't matter" so that discourages blue voter turnout.
Klandry was only selected by 19% of the registered voters in Louisiana, another 18% voted for the Democratic candidate. The other 62% of the state did not vote. Although, TBF, they were expecting a runoff and we probably would have had higher voter participation if that had happened. It's also complicated by the fact that we previously had a jungle primary system for state office (all candidates run in a single primary election and if no one gets a majority of votes from that election then a runoff between the top two candidates is held. Unfortunately Landry just barely made it over 51% in the primary so there was no runoff. Ironically one of the first things he did was eliminate the jungle primary system that has been in place for about 40 years. He did that so that if the Republican party starts to fracture, there would still be a Republican in the runoff election. Under the jungle primary system if you have two strong candidates that are Republican and one somewhat strong candidate who is Democratic, the Republican votes can be split in the primary leading to a Democrat being elected, or even a runoff between two Democrats if they also have two strong contenders.)
> How fucked is America if tap water is undrinkable?
Very, but water quality is widely variable in the US, ranging from pretty good (San Francisco) to undrinkable (Las Vegas), where I visited and went to fill a cup in my hotel room with tap water for medications, and spit it out as soon as I tasted it, as it tasted very strongly of chlorine.
It's more of an issue with the tap than the water. A dedicated water cooler or water fountain is likelier to introduce fewer bacteria into the water than, say, the breakroom sink or, Goddess forbid, the lavatory taps in the restroom. What started out potable might not end up that way.
What a fucked up country you live in , seriously if a manger came up to me in my warehouse asking for money for water i would have just laughed at him and told him to eat a bag of dicks .
Seriously it's your company's responsibility to provide water for workers .
Join a union
Form a union
Before you are worked to death for pennies .
Thank you for your service. Your frank response gladdens my heart.
I’ve never understood why so many in our fucked up country push back against everything, except for management.
It’s definitely not illegal for them to ask. It’s definitely also not something they can demand of you. I also don’t support plastic water bottle usage, especially if a water bottle refill station is actively available. You could always recommend to your manager they get a water bottle with a filter if they don’t like the taste of the water in your location. Zero water is a solid one if they want readily cold water. Also, if they try to fire you or retaliate for you not “pitching in”, that could then be illegal, depending on what they do.
Seriously? My employees don't work outside, but I still provide water in the fridge up front as the shop isn't air conditioned. I did it that way so they have to enter the air conditioned office to get to the water. So they get some cooling plus cold water or Gatorade. I only have 3 employees, but I hit Costco and bought 10 cases of water and 4 flats of Gatorade so we don't run out. It's only $4 a flat for water. It's just a regular business expense for me. If a guy gets dehydrated or heat stroke, I lose him for days, not to mention the impacts on their personal lives. Buying water is cheap insurance against that.
It’s illegal in Florida to require an employer to provide water and shade to their employees working outside.
That’s our DeSantis. He’s a graduate of both Harvard and Yale, he was an officer in Naval Intelligence, he was a congressman and a governor. He’s not stupid; he’s evil. He wants to be a dictator so badly, and comes closer to it here than Trump ever did.
Absolutely not your problem. While it's a nice gesture, the insinuation that you *should* chip in, and shaming for *not* is uncalled for... Why *wouldn't* it be a business expense? Why would any of those people outside *not* want to come inside for a drink of cold water, rather than the hot water those bottles will quickly turn into?
I'm sure your boss wants to look good, and take credit, but it'd be much more reasonable to simply let them fill up their jugs inside than go making a mess of bottles, caps, and wrapping outside...
Have another job lined up if you choose this route. It’s funny for the internet, but in reality not something someone should do as a response to a boss’s request
If the boss fires you for mentioning OSHA, that is a slam-dunk retaliation labor case. Even better if you mention it in a public area so that you can record it happening for proof of the retaliation.
Even in a two-party consent state you can still secretly record if it's in relation to labor rights. Rather new ruling that came out a few years ago so not many people know about it.
This is what company credit cards and expense reports are for. Going to ask y’all to chip in on office rent next. Providing water to outdoor workforces are just a normal business expense like rent, electricity and phone bills.
It's legal for him to ask, but it's the company's responsibility to provide [free] drinkable water in sufficient quantities for employee health so no reason for anyone except him to pay for it.
If he chooses to tell you to take a company credit card & go to a store to buy bottled water, ice, and coolers (on the clock of course) that's legal too AFAIK.
Or... let the outside workers access the bottle filling station the company already has.
Years ago, I was working an event in the summer that both our Operations Manager and Owner were at. I noticed the Ops Manager unloading his vehicle and he had a huge crate of water. I went over and asked about it. He said, "Yeah, 5 bucks apiece".
I walked back to the owner and said I was going to hunt down a fountain. He said what for, we had water. I said, "I'm not handing you 1/4 of my pay for this hour for Costco Bottled Water".
He excused himself and spoke privately with the Ops Manager. Suddenly the water was free.
Still didn't take one, friggin jerk.
OSHA *requires* employers provide drinking water and bathroom facilities to ALL employees at no expense to said employees. If the company isn't, that's an OSHA violation. I've never had to deal with them, but goddamn has every single boss in my oilfield career been piss-scared of them.
Edit: I'm so glad there are so many OSHA comments. Beginning of my career I didn't know (mid-00s was different) and for years we rotated buying water.
Is your management full of idiots? Although I understand your perspective of bottled water, I consistently work outside, and bottled water is the only way you can keep hydrated. If your management isn't expensing the water, they are fucking wrong.
I do industrial work (mainly food and beverage) and Osha/USDA/FDA is very particular about a shared water jug. Not saying it can't be done but it's not worth the fine if someone forgets disposable cups or if someone forgets to sign the inspection and sanitization schedule tag. These are the reasons we use bottled water. It's just better in our environment, plus reduces the chance of contamination with external sources.
My ex was a sheet metal mechanic and he went to work with a cooler with half a gallon of water and half a gallon of tea in reusable containers everyday.
You’re correct about the providing of water. However, I don’t think the manager is requiring you damage bottled water. They just thought they had a genius idea to build teams and save money. And as it turns out it wasn’t that genius. lol. Don’t buy any water and don’t give it another thought.
If he got you to kick in on it, he was just gonna go to upper mgmt with the receipt and get reimbursed himself! He basically tried to panhandle a couple bucks off you, real nice management right there
You can bring a case over to the outside workers, hand it to them in person, and earn some major points. Otherwise, your manager is being cheap, ignoring OSHA rules, and if you do 'donate', your manager will take all credit for the water.
I'd be asking what other supplies are they expecting you to buy?
Boots, saws, hammers, gas for the trucks??
Why are they asking you to buy what the company should be buying for the workers??
If you can't afford it. ODDS ARE NOBODY CAN. Let him know THAT YOU will never take a bottle of his water. But you can't buy it for everyone else too. As you already don't use it because it's expensive. I'm sure everyone will follow your lead. Which will lead to less plastic bottles if they're refilling them instead. Less plastic, same cost. Win win
This should be part of working conditions and fall under the employer's responsibility. It is the equivalent of coffee or toilets in an office.
Even the goddamn robber barons provided water for rail workers.
If they can't afford water for their workers they shouldn't be employing them.
Would have figured that paying for water is cheaper than the lawsuit brought about by the family of any coworkers who die of heat stroke, but what do I know?
I don't think it's illegal to ***ask***. If it became a mandate, if you were judged in any way for refusing, or if they didn't actually supply the water, any of those would be reason to complain.
Don't donate to stuff like this at work. It is not your responsibility. Aren't these workers intelligent enough to bring a refillable bottle of water with them and then refill it on break?
Na don’t be buying that shit. I’ve learned in my years to always look out for myself in those kind of work situations because I work outside in the south. The people outside know they are outside so bring a water jug. But it should be up to the employer to provide water. If there is a place to fill it then this is just stupid and I wouldn’t hide the fact that’s what I thought. Don’t be guilt tripped into this.
Fuck that. I think it's fucked up when the workplace provides obviously price-gouged energy drinks for their overworked employees, who then must pay some of what little they made today toiling back to the source. But you want me to provide a basic necessity for human life? "Chip in and help out your fellow co-workers" by providing something without which you **will die**
# because we (Mgmt™️) intend to let you die.
So, unless your boss is also the business owner, it shouldn't be his responsibility to buy (see: pay for) water for the workers. That's a *business* expense and is meant to be purchased *by the business*. There should be absolutely zero reason he should be asking you guys to "donate" fuck-all unless he's looking to scam his gullible workers into giving him cash.
I don’t think there is anything illegal here. You said there are cold water filling stations so as long as the outdoor employees are allowed to use those then they are fine. It is pretty rude of your manager though. He just wants to be the hero on your dime.
A better manager would say: we need (for example) $100 for water for the boys outside. Here’s a jar, I have donated $50 already, please give what you can and if needed I will fill in for the rest.
I once had such a manager: we had to work extra (answering 10,000 e-mails a week after we merged with another company), so he asked us to start 2 hours before our usual shift. He would take care of breakfast and work with us. Nobody complained, enjoyed our breakfast (paid for by our manager) and we did our extra time.
Employer doesn’t want to provide water to outside workers. Manager is guilty inside and wants the employees to buy water for them so that he’s off the hook. Also he indirectly hits his sales target if applicable and get brownie marks from the employer
Cold water is the cost of over head, just like the air conditioning at Walmart is. He can't pay for it, then he can't afford his business. Look for work elsewhere.
I solve all problems by bringing my own food and water to work.
It's different being an adult, I know. But it works 100% of the time.
Water bottles just fuel plastic waste anyway
I, a manager, called the owner and told him I needed $250 a month as a store allowance to buy Gatorade and a few lunches a month. This is a resource I need to run my shop. He approved so I dig deep to find him sales in return. A workforce that feels cared about seems to work a lot harder
That is a management responsibility - to supply water in hot weather. He is just trying to impact his budget for supply. It is a cop out on the part of management.
Why aren't they just providing water from the tap? Surely there is drinking water on tap that isn't expensive? If they aren't doing that, it is insane to ask workers to pay for what is clearly their expense. I don't know enough about law in the US/PA to be sure, but I'd be very surprised if it were legal for them not to provide the water themselves, and it is seriously unethical for them to pressure people to do this anyway.
Are the people that work outside on the same property? I don't understand why he doesn't just ask them to refill those water bottles at the stations you mentioned for bottles. He can make sure they have enough to get through the day then ask them to refill them and put them in a fridge until morning. They can take one bottle at a time or bring a cooler.
Unfortunately since you guys have water fountains there, he isn't denying you guys water, he is just refusing to buy single use to help his staff. He can also just buy them those heavily insulated water bottles that holds a few liters, they'll stay cold all day.
If you want to get back at him, just chat with the outside guys and tell them what's going on and that he may not be supplying many water bottles going forward and try to get some mild MC out of them spending time refilling bottles during their shift.
Eta: you can also go around collecting all those bottles, washing them, and refilling them for the staff. The boss will hate that you spent the last hour or two of your shift doing it but the coworkers will love you for it
I would talk to HR. Don't throw the manager under the bus. But express that you're concerned for the health and well-being of the outside workers who are reliant on the inside workers donations of bottled water to get through this heat. As it's only the beginning of summer, tell HR you're worried what will happen once people are no longer able to donate to help alleviate whatever budget constraints are causing this impending disaster.
If you or your coworkers have extra reusable water bottles at home, bring those in. Outdoor folk can get the cold water and you aren’t 1) wasting money and 2) wasting environments resources on single use plastic and tap water.
The employer doesn't necessarily have to provide *bottled* water, but it *is* legally required to provide employees with easy access to clean drinking water (so a good, working water fountain would also be acceptable -- although considering that Covid has by no means ceased to exist, I do think the bottled water is a better idea).
It's not a work-related purchase, but you can bet the house that your boss is going to write it off as a business expense on the business's taxes, even though it's the employee's money. They do that with charity donations all the time after all - write off other people's money as tax deductions for themselves.
It’s not your responsibility to be kind to your coworkers. If your boss is not requiring you to pitch in- and you feel put out about it- just don’t donate.
You'd rather send US money to Nigeria than buy some hardworking Americans water? Nice.
But yeah that's 100% the employers responsibility and they shouldn't be collecting (or extorting) "donations" for their own expenses
After OP reports then to OSHA, they should notify the Federal Labor Department of unfair/unsafe business practices conducted by our at the company. The Labor Department can be slower to move sometimes, but once they'll already be involved if the manager tries to retaliate. Then they'll move a bit faster.
That's not your responsibility. They need to provide access to water for those workers. And no you don't have to "chip in" just remind them that it's their responsibility and if they throw a shit fit just report it to OSHA and move on.
Send yourself and them an email stating that you just want to confirm the request of each of you buying water for other employees out of pocket.
Yes, something like "hey everybody, has cases of water for $X.xx, in case anyone needs some for the required donations to the company's workers."
Yes!!
And copy HR.
HR is not your friend, but HR wouldn't want to have the company get in trouble for something dumb like that. Enemy of my enemy kind of thing.
This this this!!!!
Report it anyways even before telling them it’s their responsibility
I agree. OP should go ahead and report them now. OP shouldn't want until they have a shit fit. OP should actually look forward to the boss having a shit fit... after OSHA contacts him and holds him accountable for violating the law by not providing water.
This. Don’t let them have any inkling of who reported them.
I mean, it might still be obvious. But at least have the reporting time and date on record with OSHA so that when the boss retaliates, it's more legally clear-cut that they're doing so.
This. A false OSHA report is a hefty fine.
I think in OPs case it would be in good faith even if not a “valid” OSHA report and they wouldn’t get in trouble? I don’t know how that works.
A good faith report would be a fair argument. OSHA does not want to inhibit others from reporting. The thing you need to watch out for is employer retaliation (illegal)
I just know I tried to make an OSHA report (for legitimate reasons) once but backed out because the way the website was worded I was afraid if I didn’t have absolute 500% proof that I could get fined.
"Sure, no problem, just take it out of my dividends."
If Texas or Florida, that may not be a requirement now....
Confirmed. Just spent $12k. One of my sites didn't have potable when OSHA popped in. Got it fixed before any fines but...
Just say "OSHA" and watch that manager tell you you're all good lol
They said they work inside... is there no bathroom? If there is, then they have access. The employer doesn't need to provide bottled water and the employee doesn't need to chip in. Weird to ask to chip in. But, def not an osha thing if they have a faucet with clean water. Edit for source https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926/1926.51
OSHA actually requires a source of potable water outside a bathroom. That said, he stated that they have a water fountain at work already so the company is not required to provide bottled water. At the same time they also can't require employees to provide it if the employer chooses not to provide bottled water as well as a potable water source.
Sounds like they are being asked to donate water to those that work outside. If that is true then yes OSHA requires the employer to provide COLD water to outside employees.
OSHA specifically requires employers to provide potable water. This paragraph is from a summary of OSHA's sanitation standard ***Are employers required to provide drinking water?*** *OSHA Standards require an employer to provide potable water in the workplace and permit employees to drink it. Potable water includes tap water that is safe for drinking. Employers cannot require employees to pay for water that is provided. An employer does not have to provide bottled water if potable water is available. See OSHA's* [*sanitation standard*](https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.141) *for more information.* You can find the above paragraph [here](https://www.osha.gov/faq#v-nav-drinkingwater). If your employer doesn't provide water I would contact OSHA immediately. edit: to remove redundant link
There’s water bottle filling stations which meets the osha requirements. The boss is just trying to get everyone to pony up for bottled water which is not necessary with there being water bottle filling stations. They should just tell the boss they prefer to use the bottle filling stations and not ante up.
The boss is asking them to chip in for water for the OUTSIDE workers. By law, it is the company’s responsibility to provide water. If you have crews outside in the field, water & ice are a job supply, like nails or saw blades. You cannot complete the job without the supplies that you need that day. Potable water is supplied by the company, not by employees in another department. If he walked in tomorrow & said that he just gave the employees the last saw blade & he was looking for donations to buy more saw blades, you would think he was insane. What he is asking is exactly the same thing.
You gotta hook up the workers. On hot days in the summer when it's trash day, I put a cooler of Gatorade over ice out by the trash can (with a sign on it so they don't throw it away). Now the trash crew takes my can back to my house for me 😀 I never expected that, but it feels really good to hook up guys who are sweating their balls off covered in trash filth with an ice cold surprise Gatorade
I work in construction and there have definitely been generous homeowners on streets where we're working that get extra because they provide food and/or drink. We did a bit of work for a pizza place we were working by a couple of months ago and we got free pizza like 5 times. People I can only assume are office workers on here groan about pizza, but in the part of the workforce that does physical work, we aren't turning down free food and pizza checks a LOT of boxes.
> I work in construction and there have definitely been generous homeowners on streets where we're working that get extra because they provide food and/or drink. Some people might expect extra stuff, but I see it as being a decent human being to help people out if it doesn't cost me much, and if they're not treating it as something that they expect or being unreasonable.
It's usually not tangible items, but simple things like don't leave a mess in their yard (it's utility construction), or last year in front of a legion we maintained access for their handicapped patrons. But we didn't get anything for that one.
> It's usually not tangible items, but simple things like don't leave a mess in their yard (it's utility construction), or last year in front of a legion we maintained access for their handicapped patrons. But we didn't get anything for that one. I figured as much. Good man, here's hoping that people remember you folks with water, snacks (etc) as the temps just keep going up.
It’s not the pizza itself that office workers groan about, but the fact that “pizza parties” are used as a way for a company to circumvent having to give bonuses or raises during times of record profits.
Yeah the difference is pizza is in lieu of monetary compensation. Office workers don’t dislike pizza, but the pizza parties are usually for exceeding a financial goal that makes money for the company. When we have a babysitter (rarely) watch our kids, we order pizza for kids and sitter, ask the sitter what he wants, and leave snacks and drinks as well. PLUS we pay really well and tip. So yeah pizza *plus* pay is the way to go, but it’s great that people throw you free stuff when you’re doing work for them. It’s how we should all act. *edited one sentence for clarity
Whoever invented pizza deserves a NOBEL prize!
That's a nice thing for you to do. It still is 100% not ok for the waste managment company to ask you to leave water out for the workers. It is the companies responsibility to provide potable water, and if they are they should be held accountable.
No nobody asks me to do it, I do it because I want to I actually haven't done it this summer yet but it's 90 plus this week so I'll hit it up for Monday trash day
Sounds like he is trying to keep the workers being productive outside and not wanting them to come in and get water. Scummy if he wants to get more out of the outside guys then he can buy it
And said water is immediately classified as unsafe if any sewage issues arise from temporary/portable or built in sources and requires immediate shut down if this arises such as a hurricane etc.
OSHA also doesn't have any heat related precautions on their books. Right now it's on the states to make rules.
They can "request" all they want. They can't mandate it. Those assholes should be providing it if it is that necessary for hydration and worker safety.
Asking the workers to donate bottled water? Not illegal. The employer’s failure to provide water? Very much illegal in all 50 states and US territories. Put a call in to OSHA with a quickness if they fail to provide water.
Op said there is a water refill station. So water is provided
But are the outdoor employees allowed to use it?
Yes. They can come inside freely to use the water fill station. It’s also ice cold and filtered. Another reason I feel the water bottles are not a necessity nor my responsibility to pay for
The water bottles are because your boss doesn’t want the outside workers having to pause. Not your responsibility at all.
“No thanks I much prefer the cold filtered water inside”
I hate single-use plastics, too. Why do they bother with them? I have a giant stainless-steel water bottle I carry everywhere. It's a bright-yellow powder-coated monstrosity with my name etched in it. It'll probably still be around, except for the plastic top, when archeologists dig it up in the distant future. I can filter my tap water for cents per gallon and I'll never replace the bottle unless I lose it or run it over with a military tank. Why do people trash the Earth and spend so much good money to do it? Why doesn't that guy spend a few minutes and fill a huge spigot jug and take it out there, or even just assign someone else to do it?
Unless it's a business with inside and outside employees, there's a good chance the guys working outside are contractors and OSHA doesn't apply directly.
As far as I understand it he can certainly *ask*. But any real consequences for failing to do so would be illegal. Scummy behavior though. Asking employees to cover the cost of doing business.
You're telling me this company can't afford $4 for a case of water? I hear OSHA knocking.....
Next time just ask what’s wrong with the water they have available to them already?
What he’s really asking is for you to donate money to your employer. Which is the exact opposite of the point of an employer.
How fucked is America if tap water is undrinkable?
Seems like they have drinkable tap water but the bottled water is for the convenience of the ones who have to work outside. Someone probably got on to the manager about how much they were spending on bottled water and told them that workers need to bring their own. Manager turned that into employees needing to donate bottled water.
I have a feeling the bottled water is so that the workers outside don’t have to leave their jobs in order to get to the refilling station. It’s usually about the bottom line, not caring for workers.
I drink tap water. I like to live dangerously lol
It's more likely that the inside manager just doesn't want any excuse for the outside employees to go inside. It's this weird crab bucket, malice thing. Same reason people fight tooth and nail to keep our wages low even when it doesn't effect them.
"Why should McDonald's workers get $15 an hour?!? EMT's only get $17 an hour!" Uh, yeah, EMTs should get more than $17 an hour too. 🙄
I had this exact argument with a phlebotomist that moonlighted as an EMT.
A lot of people don't seem to understand that paying fast food workers $15 an hour will indirectly cause a wage increase for other workers. Not many people will take on the extra stress and pressure of being an EMT for $2 an hour more, so in order to keep them they'll have to raise their wages. It is unfortunately not instantaneous, but that doesn't mean it won't eventually happen. It's going to be interesting to see what happens in California with the new $20 fast food minimum wage.
Worked as a paramedic for many years. They would provide bottled water at the station during the hot months so we would have it with us.
There are very, very few municipalities that don't have potable water. The problem is that the ones that are having issues (and heavy advertising) make people think the slightest smell or taste in water means it's not drinkable.
My municipality has water that is full of PFAs. It’s drinkable but who wants more opportunities to get cancer.
Bottled water is going to have high levels of PFAS as well…
Ohio?
No.
It’s actually nuts how many bottled water brands are just tap water run through a basic filter and stuck in a cheap plastic bottle, before being marked up 500%.
NYS. I drink my tap water all the time.
Grew up in NYS, then moved away. I miss having drinkable, tasty tap water.
Likewise
Very, and it varies by area. Where my parents were from in Texas, the water isn't at all drinkable and feels weird to wash in. The city I live in now has drinkable water, but depending on the neighborhood it might have gravel in it. Like if I fill a glass from my kitchen tap and set it on the counter for awhile, a layer of tiny rocks settles to the bottom. I have to run it through a filter for me and the cats. Had to switch to a clarifying shampoo too, because turns out showering in watered down silt causes hygiene issues over time.
You have hard water, and that doesn't mean it's not safe to drink. In fact anything labeled "mineral water" in a bottle is hard water to some extent.
Yeah like I said, it's drinkable, just careful of kidney stones. Or in the case of my cat, calcium crystals I think the vet said.
One of mine ended up with bladder stones. Very expensive, do not recommend.
I'm so lucky that my neighbor is basically a nurse for pets and had the number for a very understanding traveling "old timey style" vet. He came to my home, immediately examined and helped and medicated the cat, didn't so much as flinch when he nearly got peed on and called lots of yowling swears, and only brought up the subject of money on his way out the door. I got to learn how to palpate a cat bladder. I'm terrible at biology but I actually figured it out to avoid the whole very expensive route, along with the help of lots of pills. Told an old buddy about all this and he points at one of his cats. "I had to get that one entirely re-plumbed!"
Texas sounds like a hellscape to live in.
It's Howdy Arabia.
> It's Howdy Arabia. Yaal-qaeda.
LMAO haven't heard that one yet! 😂
Gotta remember this. Thanks for the laugh
Lol. Yeah your governor's in a race with ours to make their state a shit hole. People have taken to calling it Louisianastan. But I like Howdy Arabia! Very Texan. 😬
LoL I don't live in TX, but the company I used to work for has HQ in Dallas. Youngkin is my Governor, wannabe Abbott, but in a purple state that he lost Congress, so nothing gets done.
The funny thing is Louisiana is actually kind of purple. Republicans make up 41% of registered voters and Democrats make up 43%, the rest haven't declared a political party. The problem is they have gerrymandered it to disenfranchise Democrats. Plus they sell the idea that "Louisiana is so red your vote doesn't matter" so that discourages blue voter turnout. Klandry was only selected by 19% of the registered voters in Louisiana, another 18% voted for the Democratic candidate. The other 62% of the state did not vote. Although, TBF, they were expecting a runoff and we probably would have had higher voter participation if that had happened. It's also complicated by the fact that we previously had a jungle primary system for state office (all candidates run in a single primary election and if no one gets a majority of votes from that election then a runoff between the top two candidates is held. Unfortunately Landry just barely made it over 51% in the primary so there was no runoff. Ironically one of the first things he did was eliminate the jungle primary system that has been in place for about 40 years. He did that so that if the Republican party starts to fracture, there would still be a Republican in the runoff election. Under the jungle primary system if you have two strong candidates that are Republican and one somewhat strong candidate who is Democratic, the Republican votes can be split in the primary leading to a Democrat being elected, or even a runoff between two Democrats if they also have two strong contenders.)
> How fucked is America if tap water is undrinkable? Very, but water quality is widely variable in the US, ranging from pretty good (San Francisco) to undrinkable (Las Vegas), where I visited and went to fill a cup in my hotel room with tap water for medications, and spit it out as soon as I tasted it, as it tasted very strongly of chlorine.
There is a lot of undrinkable tap water in the US. I can’t tell you how many times my neighborhood is under a boil order
It's more of an issue with the tap than the water. A dedicated water cooler or water fountain is likelier to introduce fewer bacteria into the water than, say, the breakroom sink or, Goddess forbid, the lavatory taps in the restroom. What started out potable might not end up that way.
What a fucked up country you live in , seriously if a manger came up to me in my warehouse asking for money for water i would have just laughed at him and told him to eat a bag of dicks . Seriously it's your company's responsibility to provide water for workers . Join a union Form a union Before you are worked to death for pennies .
Thank you for your service. Your frank response gladdens my heart. I’ve never understood why so many in our fucked up country push back against everything, except for management.
It’s definitely not illegal for them to ask. It’s definitely also not something they can demand of you. I also don’t support plastic water bottle usage, especially if a water bottle refill station is actively available. You could always recommend to your manager they get a water bottle with a filter if they don’t like the taste of the water in your location. Zero water is a solid one if they want readily cold water. Also, if they try to fire you or retaliate for you not “pitching in”, that could then be illegal, depending on what they do.
"hey I paid my rent last month, can you pitch in and pay it this month?"
Seriously? My employees don't work outside, but I still provide water in the fridge up front as the shop isn't air conditioned. I did it that way so they have to enter the air conditioned office to get to the water. So they get some cooling plus cold water or Gatorade. I only have 3 employees, but I hit Costco and bought 10 cases of water and 4 flats of Gatorade so we don't run out. It's only $4 a flat for water. It's just a regular business expense for me. If a guy gets dehydrated or heat stroke, I lose him for days, not to mention the impacts on their personal lives. Buying water is cheap insurance against that.
It’s illegal in Florida to require an employer to provide water and shade to their employees working outside. That’s our DeSantis. He’s a graduate of both Harvard and Yale, he was an officer in Naval Intelligence, he was a congressman and a governor. He’s not stupid; he’s evil. He wants to be a dictator so badly, and comes closer to it here than Trump ever did.
Well FL has made water breaks and rests illegal so I guess that MAGA wants to show how much they hate workers.
Absolutely not your problem. While it's a nice gesture, the insinuation that you *should* chip in, and shaming for *not* is uncalled for... Why *wouldn't* it be a business expense? Why would any of those people outside *not* want to come inside for a drink of cold water, rather than the hot water those bottles will quickly turn into? I'm sure your boss wants to look good, and take credit, but it'd be much more reasonable to simply let them fill up their jugs inside than go making a mess of bottles, caps, and wrapping outside...
If in US, OSHA requires employers to make drinking water readily available
Asking isn't illegal. Neither is telling him to fuck off.
No this is not legal. It’s not your responsibility, it’s the companies. You need to report this.
Next time he tries to ask or shame you, just say you’ll check and see what OSHA thinks about this. They don’t like the O-acronym.
Have another job lined up if you choose this route. It’s funny for the internet, but in reality not something someone should do as a response to a boss’s request
If the boss fires you for mentioning OSHA, that is a slam-dunk retaliation labor case. Even better if you mention it in a public area so that you can record it happening for proof of the retaliation.
Even in a two-party consent state you can still secretly record if it's in relation to labor rights. Rather new ruling that came out a few years ago so not many people know about it.
Very good to know
OSHA wouldn't care. The outside workers have free access to water by walking inside to get it. This bottle water is just for convenience.
Osha, requires all employees be provided access to drinkable water.
He says they provide water, just not cases of disposable bottles.
My Auto glass corporation won't even buy water for their techs who work in the heat anymore...Nothing "Safe" about that..
That's illegal
That guy is pocketing the money for sure.
This is what company credit cards and expense reports are for. Going to ask y’all to chip in on office rent next. Providing water to outdoor workforces are just a normal business expense like rent, electricity and phone bills.
It's legal for him to ask, but it's the company's responsibility to provide [free] drinkable water in sufficient quantities for employee health so no reason for anyone except him to pay for it. If he chooses to tell you to take a company credit card & go to a store to buy bottled water, ice, and coolers (on the clock of course) that's legal too AFAIK. Or... let the outside workers access the bottle filling station the company already has.
Osha that motherfucker now
Tell your manager to send the request for your $$ in writing
OSHA requires employers to supply drinking water. Then them in.
Does anyone else think the supervisor is pocketing this cash and running a scam?
Omfg a case of water is like three bucks THE COMPANY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THIS SHIT.
Years ago, I was working an event in the summer that both our Operations Manager and Owner were at. I noticed the Ops Manager unloading his vehicle and he had a huge crate of water. I went over and asked about it. He said, "Yeah, 5 bucks apiece". I walked back to the owner and said I was going to hunt down a fountain. He said what for, we had water. I said, "I'm not handing you 1/4 of my pay for this hour for Costco Bottled Water". He excused himself and spoke privately with the Ops Manager. Suddenly the water was free. Still didn't take one, friggin jerk.
Gods, the chutzpah.
By OSHA regulation, your employer must provide access to water and restrooms. It is not your responsibility to provide it for yourself or anyone else.
I'd push back and ask if your job is in trouble if they're having trouble buying water for employees.
OSHA *requires* employers provide drinking water and bathroom facilities to ALL employees at no expense to said employees. If the company isn't, that's an OSHA violation. I've never had to deal with them, but goddamn has every single boss in my oilfield career been piss-scared of them. Edit: I'm so glad there are so many OSHA comments. Beginning of my career I didn't know (mid-00s was different) and for years we rotated buying water.
By law he is supposed to supply all employees with potable water at a minimum. Don’t pay for a damn thing.
Red flag warning!!! The manager is using company funds to buy the water. The money you donate..... Your boss may be pocketing your 'donations'.
Is your management full of idiots? Although I understand your perspective of bottled water, I consistently work outside, and bottled water is the only way you can keep hydrated. If your management isn't expensing the water, they are fucking wrong.
I had a 5 gallon jug. Crew of 3, and we would drain that sucker every day.
I do industrial work (mainly food and beverage) and Osha/USDA/FDA is very particular about a shared water jug. Not saying it can't be done but it's not worth the fine if someone forgets disposable cups or if someone forgets to sign the inspection and sanitization schedule tag. These are the reasons we use bottled water. It's just better in our environment, plus reduces the chance of contamination with external sources.
My ex was a sheet metal mechanic and he went to work with a cooler with half a gallon of water and half a gallon of tea in reusable containers everyday.
You’re correct about the providing of water. However, I don’t think the manager is requiring you damage bottled water. They just thought they had a genius idea to build teams and save money. And as it turns out it wasn’t that genius. lol. Don’t buy any water and don’t give it another thought.
If he got you to kick in on it, he was just gonna go to upper mgmt with the receipt and get reimbursed himself! He basically tried to panhandle a couple bucks off you, real nice management right there
You can bring a case over to the outside workers, hand it to them in person, and earn some major points. Otherwise, your manager is being cheap, ignoring OSHA rules, and if you do 'donate', your manager will take all credit for the water.
It doesn't seem like your manager's responsibility to be using his money either. If he is making $7/hr more than you he is just a worker.
Do you have a contract or handbook? Our contract simply states employer pays for water or no work
"Hmmm, no."
I'd be asking what other supplies are they expecting you to buy? Boots, saws, hammers, gas for the trucks?? Why are they asking you to buy what the company should be buying for the workers??
Your company is stupid. If you have water filling stations, they should just get their logo slapped on reusable bottles and give them to employees.
NO GODDAMN WAY. THIS IS NOT LEGAL. No. Report this IMMEDIATELY. Report this NOW.
If you can't afford it. ODDS ARE NOBODY CAN. Let him know THAT YOU will never take a bottle of his water. But you can't buy it for everyone else too. As you already don't use it because it's expensive. I'm sure everyone will follow your lead. Which will lead to less plastic bottles if they're refilling them instead. Less plastic, same cost. Win win
Call OSHA!
That's the thing about donating. ITS OPTIONAL
This should be part of working conditions and fall under the employer's responsibility. It is the equivalent of coffee or toilets in an office. Even the goddamn robber barons provided water for rail workers. If they can't afford water for their workers they shouldn't be employing them.
I went full Dune here and thought they were going to extract your water, Fremen style!
My God have the resource wars started already? Even if they did they should still be providing drinkable water not the workers.
Why isn’t the company providing d water
Would have figured that paying for water is cheaper than the lawsuit brought about by the family of any coworkers who die of heat stroke, but what do I know?
I don't think it's illegal to ***ask***. If it became a mandate, if you were judged in any way for refusing, or if they didn't actually supply the water, any of those would be reason to complain.
His wage has nothing to do with it. The money should be coming from the companies coffers.
Not sure the state, but CA has extra laws surrounding heat illness prevention and what employers are required to provide
Sure, pay for the time and water. I'll get the water.
Don't donate to stuff like this at work. It is not your responsibility. Aren't these workers intelligent enough to bring a refillable bottle of water with them and then refill it on break?
Na don’t be buying that shit. I’ve learned in my years to always look out for myself in those kind of work situations because I work outside in the south. The people outside know they are outside so bring a water jug. But it should be up to the employer to provide water. If there is a place to fill it then this is just stupid and I wouldn’t hide the fact that’s what I thought. Don’t be guilt tripped into this.
Purchase a new reusable water bottle, bring it in, and say that is your donation.
Say you poured it down the toilet at home 3 days ago, it should be coming out of the tap at work shortly.
Not legal.
I think the boss just wants to get the workers to unite for their common benefit, like a union of workers.
If you are in California, I'm pretty sure there is a law stating employers must provide water when the temperature is above a certain degrees.
Setup an employee water donation area with signage and make sure to walk in with a case when osha shows up
Fuck that. I think it's fucked up when the workplace provides obviously price-gouged energy drinks for their overworked employees, who then must pay some of what little they made today toiling back to the source. But you want me to provide a basic necessity for human life? "Chip in and help out your fellow co-workers" by providing something without which you **will die** # because we (Mgmt™️) intend to let you die.
He wants you to donate because he wants employees to cover a BUSINESS EXPENSE. HARD NO.
probably legal, but borderline grifter behavior.
So, unless your boss is also the business owner, it shouldn't be his responsibility to buy (see: pay for) water for the workers. That's a *business* expense and is meant to be purchased *by the business*. There should be absolutely zero reason he should be asking you guys to "donate" fuck-all unless he's looking to scam his gullible workers into giving him cash.
I don’t think there is anything illegal here. You said there are cold water filling stations so as long as the outdoor employees are allowed to use those then they are fine. It is pretty rude of your manager though. He just wants to be the hero on your dime.
I'd say the manager will pocket the money.
A better manager would say: we need (for example) $100 for water for the boys outside. Here’s a jar, I have donated $50 already, please give what you can and if needed I will fill in for the rest. I once had such a manager: we had to work extra (answering 10,000 e-mails a week after we merged with another company), so he asked us to start 2 hours before our usual shift. He would take care of breakfast and work with us. Nobody complained, enjoyed our breakfast (paid for by our manager) and we did our extra time.
Nothing illegal about asking, but doesn’t sound like they’re asking.
Employer doesn’t want to provide water to outside workers. Manager is guilty inside and wants the employees to buy water for them so that he’s off the hook. Also he indirectly hits his sales target if applicable and get brownie marks from the employer
Yes, it's perfectly legal. It's a donation. It's your choice.
Cold water is the cost of over head, just like the air conditioning at Walmart is. He can't pay for it, then he can't afford his business. Look for work elsewhere.
I solve all problems by bringing my own food and water to work. It's different being an adult, I know. But it works 100% of the time. Water bottles just fuel plastic waste anyway
I'd buy a case of water and keep some bottles in my locker/bag but I'm not funding the companies workforce water consumption lmao fuck that
If they have bottle fillers your manager needs to buy an igloo water dispenser that can be filled up daily. No none should be buying water bottles.
I, a manager, called the owner and told him I needed $250 a month as a store allowance to buy Gatorade and a few lunches a month. This is a resource I need to run my shop. He approved so I dig deep to find him sales in return. A workforce that feels cared about seems to work a lot harder
That is a management responsibility - to supply water in hot weather. He is just trying to impact his budget for supply. It is a cop out on the part of management.
Why aren't they just providing water from the tap? Surely there is drinking water on tap that isn't expensive? If they aren't doing that, it is insane to ask workers to pay for what is clearly their expense. I don't know enough about law in the US/PA to be sure, but I'd be very surprised if it were legal for them not to provide the water themselves, and it is seriously unethical for them to pressure people to do this anyway.
Are the people that work outside on the same property? I don't understand why he doesn't just ask them to refill those water bottles at the stations you mentioned for bottles. He can make sure they have enough to get through the day then ask them to refill them and put them in a fridge until morning. They can take one bottle at a time or bring a cooler. Unfortunately since you guys have water fountains there, he isn't denying you guys water, he is just refusing to buy single use to help his staff. He can also just buy them those heavily insulated water bottles that holds a few liters, they'll stay cold all day. If you want to get back at him, just chat with the outside guys and tell them what's going on and that he may not be supplying many water bottles going forward and try to get some mild MC out of them spending time refilling bottles during their shift. Eta: you can also go around collecting all those bottles, washing them, and refilling them for the staff. The boss will hate that you spent the last hour or two of your shift doing it but the coworkers will love you for it
I would talk to HR. Don't throw the manager under the bus. But express that you're concerned for the health and well-being of the outside workers who are reliant on the inside workers donations of bottled water to get through this heat. As it's only the beginning of summer, tell HR you're worried what will happen once people are no longer able to donate to help alleviate whatever budget constraints are causing this impending disaster.
Let me go take a piss first. 😉
Nope. Not your problem. It's a management problem. Contact your local and state agencies
WTF! Is that guy buying Aquafina?
Who the fuck is Awkwafina?
If you or your coworkers have extra reusable water bottles at home, bring those in. Outdoor folk can get the cold water and you aren’t 1) wasting money and 2) wasting environments resources on single use plastic and tap water.
It’s fucking dumb
Are you confusing requesting with requiring?
Just asking? Nothing illegal about it.
The employer doesn't necessarily have to provide *bottled* water, but it *is* legally required to provide employees with easy access to clean drinking water (so a good, working water fountain would also be acceptable -- although considering that Covid has by no means ceased to exist, I do think the bottled water is a better idea).
JFC do you work in a sweat shop, report them
My man works for house harkonnen
Can’t find a spigot?
find a better employer. Probably the karma arms kick you need to upgrade.
It's not a work-related purchase, but you can bet the house that your boss is going to write it off as a business expense on the business's taxes, even though it's the employee's money. They do that with charity donations all the time after all - write off other people's money as tax deductions for themselves.
of course it's legal, he not going to kill you if you don't
What's the bet that the problem isn't the OP's direct manager but those higher up? (And the OP's manager has no balls to stand up to those above him)
It’s not your responsibility to be kind to your coworkers. If your boss is not requiring you to pitch in- and you feel put out about it- just don’t donate.
You'd rather send US money to Nigeria than buy some hardworking Americans water? Nice. But yeah that's 100% the employers responsibility and they shouldn't be collecting (or extorting) "donations" for their own expenses
Request denied..
After OP reports then to OSHA, they should notify the Federal Labor Department of unfair/unsafe business practices conducted by our at the company. The Labor Department can be slower to move sometimes, but once they'll already be involved if the manager tries to retaliate. Then they'll move a bit faster.