YUSA drug tests, dozens quit
Ryan Carter
Staff Writer
Amy Looney said she would rather quit than submit to mandatory drug testing from her employer. So now she is an ex-employee of YUSA Corporation.
Looney, who worked at YUSA for nearly 12 years, is one of 33 employees to resign Monday when the company announced on-the-spot drug testing for every YUSA employee. More resignations were expected later Monday as other shifts came to work.
"At 5 a.m., we had our general meeting and at the end of the meeting, they announced mandatory drug testing for the entire plant," said Looney of Washington C.H. "They told us that if you resigned, they would not contest our unemployment. I felt that it was an invasion of my privacy, so I resigned. At least I get unemployment. Some people could go in there, possibly fail the drug test, get fired and then get nothing at all."
Paul Grubb, YUSA's senior manager of administration, said the decision to administer plant-wide drug testing was made after employees requested a drug test. This is the first time in the company's history that plant-wide mandatory drug testing has been administered.
"We are tracking about 10 percent associates resigning based on the number of tests administered," said Grubb. "All associates will be tested up to and including the president. This includes all Americans and Japanese. All associates were given the option to voluntarily resign and we will not contest their unemployment. We currently have 33 resignations and have tested about 330 associates so far. Understand the associates are driving this decision and the company is acting on their concerns."
YUSA, Fayette County's largest employer, employs a total of 830 people.
All but two of YUSA's temporary employees have been released. "They have been drug-tested too," said Grubb. "Business Health is administering the drug screens. We will not have conclusive test results for several days."
For Looney, life will go on even though YUSA was a major part of her life for almost 12 years. "It stinks that it happened," she said. "But I think I made the right decision."
YUSA Corporation, 151 Jamison Road Southwest, is a 310,000 square foot facility that was established in 1987. The company is an industry leader in the manufacturing of automotive rubber components, specializing in engine mountings, bushings, tubes and hoses. Their customer base includes Honda of America Manufacturing, Honda of Canada Manufacturing, Mitsubishi Motors North America, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company and many others in the North American market.
In August, YUSA employees voted overwhelmingly against unionization with 71 percent voting "No" to a union contract with Teamsters Local #413.
Ryan Carter
Staff Writer
Amy Looney said she would rather quit than submit to mandatory drug testing from her employer. So now she is an ex-employee of YUSA Corporation.
Looney, who worked at YUSA for nearly 12 years, is one of 33 employees to resign Monday when the company announced on-the-spot drug testing for every YUSA employee. More resignations were expected later Monday as other shifts came to work.
"At 5 a.m., we had our general meeting and at the end of the meeting, they announced mandatory drug testing for the entire plant," said Looney of Washington C.H. "They told us that if you resigned, they would not contest our unemployment. I felt that it was an invasion of my privacy, so I resigned. At least I get unemployment. Some people could go in there, possibly fail the drug test, get fired and then get nothing at all."
Paul Grubb, YUSA's senior manager of administration, said the decision to administer plant-wide drug testing was made after employees requested a drug test. This is the first time in the company's history that plant-wide mandatory drug testing has been administered.
"We are tracking about 10 percent associates resigning based on the number of tests administered," said Grubb. "All associates will be tested up to and including the president. This includes all Americans and Japanese. All associates were given the option to voluntarily resign and we will not contest their unemployment. We currently have 33 resignations and have tested about 330 associates so far. Understand the associates are driving this decision and the company is acting on their concerns."
YUSA, Fayette County's largest employer, employs a total of 830 people.
All but two of YUSA's temporary employees have been released. "They have been drug-tested too," said Grubb. "Business Health is administering the drug screens. We will not have conclusive test results for several days."
For Looney, life will go on even though YUSA was a major part of her life for almost 12 years. "It stinks that it happened," she said. "But I think I made the right decision."
YUSA Corporation, 151 Jamison Road Southwest, is a 310,000 square foot facility that was established in 1987. The company is an industry leader in the manufacturing of automotive rubber components, specializing in engine mountings, bushings, tubes and hoses. Their customer base includes Honda of America Manufacturing, Honda of Canada Manufacturing, Mitsubishi Motors North America, General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company and many others in the North American market.
In August, YUSA employees voted overwhelmingly against unionization with 71 percent voting "No" to a union contract with Teamsters Local #413.
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