Securitas review: Changing the terms of employment.

I have worked for Securitas for a little over 4 years and in that time, I have never had a fifteen-minute break or a lunch break that was uninterrupted. Any review of my record with Securitas will show that I was one of their most reliable employees. I was getting paid breaks as I was the only officer on duty at the guard house and there was no supervisor for a little over three years. I was assigned at American Signature Warehouse in LaPorte, IN. I am a smoker so I would step out of the guard house and go out by our little butt can and smoke a cigarette. If a truck came in, I put my cigarette down and took care of the truck. Two months ago, I transferred to Hitachi Sullair in Michigan City, IN. I was assigned to day shift and worked with the Site Supervisor, Dan Thompson. All of the shifts had two officers assigned to them. I was still getting paid for all breaks. Since there were two guards on duty, I would let Dan know I was going to take a quick cigarette break which takes between 2-5 min. I couldn't smoke on property so I would walk off property like the Sullair employees did and smoke my cigarette and then return to the guard house. Dan would watch the guard house. On Thursday 02/15/2024, A.O. the District Manager and Kevin (Field Manager, I believe) came to The Sullair site around 1230. They went in and met with B.G. and then came back to the guard house. A.O stated B.G. had complaints about me smoking and told me I couldn't go smoke anymore. I told him then I was allowed to go take a smoke break. It was a break of about 2-5 min. and I would come back. They spoke with both me and Supervisor Dan and then decided to sit down and spend the rest of the day in the guard house with us, which created a problem because they were in our way. They both sat down and were doing their office work. They would periodically look up and comment, "You need to take care of that." One of the things they told us was that from now on when a truck or a vehicle came in one of us would be outside of the guard house dealing with the vehicle and the other guard would be on the computer reading what the computer was showing, especially if the vehicle had an employee or ex-employee in it. Dan and I were doing our job and when 2nd. shift was coming in Kevin got up and was explaining the new procedure for incoming vehicles. He looked at me and again said that I couldn't smoke while at Sullair. I told him He couldn't enforce that. If I was taking a smoke break for 5 minutes I was allowed as it was a smoke break since I have to work through my breaks. He commented, "if you want to smoke do it while you're making your rounds." I responded, "I can't do that. There is no smoking on property. Again, that's why I have to step off property like the other employee's. He then said, "You cannot take a smoke break because you can't leave the guard house. One of you has to be outside the guardhouse dealing with the vehicles and the other officer has to be looking at the computer all the time." I responded, so what you're saying is we can't even stop to use the bathroom. You can't do that." He said," We pay you for your breaks." I replied, " Yes you do, but just because you pay us for our breaks doesn't mean we don't get to take them. You pay us for the breaks because we usually have to work through them, so when we can take a few minutes for a quick break we can." Kevin talked down to us the entire time and finally looked at me and stated, "You have to do what I tell you to do. I'm your manager (don't know if it was Field Manager or what but he was under A.O. the district manager). He was acting like he was over A.O., who was standing there not saying anything but looking down and rubbing his head." You will do what I tell you to do." I looked at my supervisor Dan, and reached for my I.D. I looked back at Kevin. He looked at me and said, "Go ahead, if you want to quit right now, I'll officially take your resignation right here and right now." I again told him, "You can't not give us a break. That's illegal." I then reached down and took off my I.D. and laid it down and gathered my belongings and left. I have 2 witnesses to all of this and what was said and how both A.O. and Kevin behaved and spoke. It was inappropriate for Kevin to arbitrarily change the terms of employment mid-shift which denied Securitas employees privileges that Sullair gave their own employees.