[speaker001:] do you feel that uh drug testing is necessary at the workplace
[speaker002:] um I have mixed feelings about it um I don't particularly care for people who take drugs and uh it's a possibility of having accidents in the workplace but um I also feel like it's an invasion of privacy
[speaker001:] yeah I have some basic concerns about it as well uh not just the invasion of privacy but the the chance of uh false positive being being reported
[speaker002:] right right
[speaker001:] uh I have been drug tested in the past and it's not really a pleasant experience at work
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] and uh it gives you the uh impression the uh impression that the company really doesn't trust the people that work for them
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and you're pretty much uh assumed to be guilty until proven innocent by the test results
[speaker002:] right yeah yeah I have a lot of problems with it um I um I have been tested also several times and uh in fact it has always come up negative I mean but that's no problem with it
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] coming up negative but I do take prescription drugs and I'm always been afraid that those were going to come up and show something on any of the tests
[speaker001:] yeah well they make uh allowances for that if you report that at the time that you take the test
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] but there's always a chance that you forget and have to justify it later
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] or if the prescription say ran out or if you're using something that's uh older than older than the date uh on the package or whatever
[speaker002:] um-hum right right yeah but I agree with you though they uh they're trying to uh you know they're they're saying that you are guilty until proven innocent and uh and I don't really appreciate that at all
[speaker001:] yeah yeah if they do come up with a positive regardless of what uh what it was they detected uh we're required to go attend a uh a counseling session
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and uh that gets put in your permanent uh files on your record
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] it's just not not a real good uh thing to have on your uh employment uh records
[speaker002:] no no because this can follow you um at other places too I was reading uh this morning in the newspaper where it was talking about um they have companies or or organizations out now who will go and do background searches on uh employees before they ever hire them
[speaker001:] sure
[speaker002:] and if you get one of those false negative reportings and and you're fired from your job that's going to carryover into other jobs um no matter um you know if it's truth or not so yeah it can stick with you for a long time
[speaker001:] yeah uh according to uh to the way that that our test is set up apparently everyone is supposed to be tested within a five year period
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] and uh they they do it on a random basis I'm not sure how they can guarantee that everybody is going to be tested within five years if it really is random
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] so I'm not sure exactly what they base that on
[speaker002:] well uh cause you work for TI also right yeah because uh I think what they say what they would uh take your name out of the hopper
[speaker001:] yeah um-hum sure
[speaker002:] so that whatever is left in the hopper you know it's it's um uh that's when you'd be tested and then when you were tested then it'd be taken out of there so that's that's how they said they would uh do it over a five year period
[speaker001:] okay well I'm not sure exactly if that's true though because I know people that have been tested more than one time
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and many have not been tested yet
[speaker002:] um well it's only been what a year two years
[speaker001:] uh couple of years yeah
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum yeah it hadn't been I know I was called up right away it didn't no I was called up let's see yeah we started testing in January and I was called up right away in January
[speaker001:] okay it took them awhile to find me oh no well they they did all the all the top level managers
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] uh at first
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and uh everybody else uh gets to take their turn
[speaker002:] right right
[speaker001:] so they called me in uh just a few months ago
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah but yeah you're right that wasn't a very pleasant experience
[speaker001:] right
[speaker002:] especially I felt like there was a camera watching
[speaker001:] oh no I never thought about that I I had some questions for the for the the nurse who was uh conducting the test in the health center though
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] asked her if she enjoyed her job
[speaker002:] what'd she say
[speaker001:] she thought it was different you get to meet a lot of people
[speaker002:] yeah on a continuing basis too
[speaker001:] so I try I try to introduce some levity there
[speaker002:] you know that was uh that was a really interesting because it was a great big room the bathroom it was it was a great big room and uh and I remember the the vents you know just right over the top of the toilet
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah
[speaker002:] and and I just just knew I was being photographed you know I just I'm glad I don't have to go through that experience again
[speaker001:] yeah yeah well there are a lot of people who express uh much stronger feelings about it than I have
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] and in fact I know some people that uh probably will quit before being tested even though there's nothing to uh to worry about as far as I know from the test results just a matter of principle
[speaker002:] right yeah yeah well um I guess growing up in the sixties and uh I don't know that particular era and generation I think about it though whether I have some friends who are occasional uh marijuana smokers and
[speaker001:] oh yeah
[speaker002:] you know it's just a hangover I guess from uh from that particular generation and uh but yeah they're they're just adamant that they're not going to be you know tested and they're going to fight it and um you know try and um see what they can do that it's an invasion of privacy but I don't particularly care to uh you know to uh to get into drugs or anything else so it's not a problem for me but I uh I can kind of understand from the other point of view
[speaker001:] yeah well I know some people that I suspect are casual users of uh marijuana as well and I expect that they probably uh mended their ways uh in uh
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] in response to this uh drug testing that they no longer uh even use anything like that on a casual basis
[speaker002:] right yeah yeah
[speaker001:] because it is a matter of of losing your job if you get caught say a second time
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and even the first time uh for these people are uh oh well on their way in on on the technical ladder or management and they're jeopardizing their positions
[speaker002:] yeah  oh yeah yeah I I could really see t hat uh so yeah they'll just have to find other means of uh relaxing and
[speaker001:] yeah yeah
[speaker002:] but the one thing too that that I have a problem with is that well if marijuana and cocaine and the other those so-called uh illegal drugs you know what about alcohol
[speaker001:] well some companies have gone that far uh TI has not
[speaker002:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] but others have and they're setting themselves up for uh more lawsuits I think than uh
[speaker002:] I think so yeah yeah but you know alcohol destroys you know so many families so now
[speaker001:] than we are
[speaker002:] so that's that's what I thought was interesting that uh there are still drugs out there and then there are those socially acceptable drugs
[speaker001:] yeah right I don't mind so much the fact that they test people but uh not questioning the validity of the results is is a problem because uh
[speaker002:] you know um-hum
[speaker001:] uh I I I fully expect that that any test results that comeback for me would be negative that in in the event that one would be positive there's no recourse other than get yourself a lawyer or go to this counseling session and admit guilt uh they won't accept anything else
[speaker002:] um-hum oh yeah yeah yeah because you'd be strongly into denial it's just like well we know you take it we've got the positive test results and you're going I don't I don't
[speaker001:] right yeah well if if you turn down the counseling they they will fire you
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] that's uh condition of employment
[speaker002:] right right yeah I think there's some flaws in it I I think their main objective is is good you know to make sure they have a drug free workplace but I do think that there are a lot of flaws in there
[speaker001:] sure
[speaker002:] and I understand that the government will not use that particular drug testing agency that that TI is using
[speaker001:] is that right
[speaker002:] um yeah because they're not as reliable as the government wants them to be
[speaker001:] I thought that's the only one that the government does use so
[speaker002:] oh well I heard just the opposite
[speaker001:] I'm not sure
[speaker002:] so I don't know it could just be rumors that spread around you know when they
[speaker001:] okay yeah there aren't just too many places uh that do testing like that where the government uh uh gives well gives them full reign uh trust the results because they have to prove on a continual basis that uh that they are meeting um their standards for false positives and whatnot
[speaker002:] um-hum yeah right um-hum
[speaker001:] they claim uh zero false positives ever and I find that very hard to believe
[speaker002:] oh yeah that that to me yeah it'd be very hard to believe too
[speaker001:] okay well uh hum
[speaker002:] is our five minutes up okay well it was nice talking to you okay bye
[speaker001:] I think yeah I'm sure it is I think that about covers what we want to talk about I enjoyed it okay sure bye