The temperature dipped below freezing. Joanie’s body ached in weather like this. But she kept such things to herself. It was still morning, too early to take a break from her shift. A few minutes after 9 a.m., she set down her bucket and went to the crew room to drink some hot tea. A supervisor noticed the absence and filed a disciplinary complaint, reporting that Joanie had taken a twenty-minute “unauthorized break, lounging in the lunchroom.” Specifically, she had broken Transit Rules & Regulations 2A, 2B, 4A, 4B, 10A, and 11E—a total of six violations for one cup of tea. Joanie was asked to
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