LOC Rebuttal for Failure to Go

Responding to a Letter of Counseling

SUBJECT: Response to Letter of Counseling

1. This is in response to the Letter of Counseling I received on 13 February 2012 for Failure to Go on a day on which a delayed reporting notification was sent out. On the morning in question, I received a text message at 0616 from SSgt ______ with the following message: Delayed reporting until 0930 due to the weather and ABUs is the uniform of the day. AM pt will be made up tomorrow. She followed up with a phone call, which I missed due to the fact that she called at the same time as my alarm went off; I called back, and was again told delayed reporting at 0930.

2. I have been in the Air Force for three and a half years, and I can understand the assumption that I should know better by now. However, at my first duty location, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, I was instructed that delayed reporting means come in at the time specified in the message, to allow for the roads to be cleared, temperatures to rise, and for traffic to thin. Even though I lived on base, and it took me four minutes to get to work, this was the policy I knew and abided by. This policy is in place to mitigate the risk to military members during their morning commute to their duty locations. At no point was I notified that the policy at ______ was different. This led to my assumption that the following text message from TSgt ______, received at 0825: I live 24 miles away from base and have to drop my kids off at school. What is taking you so long to get to work? You should have left the same time as normal. was sent to a wrong number by mistake. I responded with I think you have the wrong number; I was told to report in at 0930. to which TSgt _____ responded with, No, late reporting means leave the same time as normal not sleep an hour later . At that point, I dressed for work in ABUs and arrived at work at 0920.

3. At 1000, I was called into the computer work lab by TSgt _____ along with SSgt _____, SSgt _______, and SrA _______ to be presented with a Letter of Counseling. At no time was I asked to clarify the misunderstanding before the LOC was written and issued.

4. The ______ AFB homepage lists the following guidelines regarding late reporting:

LATE REPORTING Status
What Announcement Means
______ AFB functions will open on time, but employees not designated as "weather emergency essential personnel" should adjust their normal home departure time consistent with the announcement. Employees who arrive late for work within the specified time will be excused without loss of pay or charge to leave.
Additional Guidance
"weather emergency essential personnel" are expected to report for work on time.
This announcement may affect only one shift at a time with policy changes and announcements for each shift.
It may or may not be combined with "Liberal Leave"

5. According to this guidance, I was wrong not to leave at my normal time. However, as I was never informed that _____ AFB s policy differed from what I knew delayed reporting to mean, I believe the LOC was issued to me unfairly, and that I do not deserve to have this negative remark in my records. I respectfully ask that the LOC be rescinded, given the questionable circumstances under which it was issued.