top of page
Protecting the long break employees were promised, with union support
Apache Nitrogen Products
Chemical & Process
5 of 13
expected long breaks employees actually got before the change
12-hr
shifts kept, by request
150
employees
The problem
Employees at APNI worked a version of the DuPont rotation with a regular seven-day break, but coverage needs kept cutting into it. They averaged only five of the thirteen long breaks the rotation promised each year. The project kicked off during COVID-19, and the plant also needed more training time and an extra position at certain times of day.
What we did
- Analyzed operations, finding training needs and a need to staff an additional position at certain times
- Surveyed employees, who wanted to keep 12-hour shifts and their long break
- Designed schedule options quickly with employee feedback
- Partnered with regional union leadership throughout and developed the contract language
The results
- Long break preserved, with less disruption to it
- Rule changes negotiated to maximize full weekends off each cycle
- 8-day break option dropped by the joint team to avoid a very low pay period once per cycle
- Business needs for training and coverage met alongside employee desires
Is coverage eating into your crews' time off? Get a 30-minute workforce diagnostic.
bottom of page