I am fired! (Long post)

R

RedXIII

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It all started with me wanting a day off for my daughter's birthday.

A week and a half ago I had left a note to my boss that I needed off for two days actually. The 18th for my daughter's actual birthday and the 21st for the bowling party me and her mother are throwing for her.

So anyway, last week I get sick and I'm out for 2 days, Friday and Saturday. The new schedule is posted on Friday's but since I was out sick I couldn't get it till Sunday when I returned to work.

Sunday I go into work, look at the schedule and while it seem I had the 18th off the 21st I didn't. So now I'm pissed. Then I look at the calendar which is on a clipboard where we put all our requests on. Well there's my note, still sitting there unmoved, never even glanced at. Now I'm very fucking pissed.

So I take a piece of paper and I wrote, "I am not working the 21st! I specifically requested off for my daughter's bowling party. Also the 18th for her actual birthday.". Then I took the note that seemed to be ignored and attached it to the paper and wrote on it, "This was up for a week and a half if anyone bothered to look.".

I stuck all that where the my bosses assistant who was filling in for her could see and then continued on with my work.

Monday, yesterday, I go into work and I ask the assistant, "So what's up with Saturday." She just looks at me all pissed off and says, "I don't know! I handed all that to Wendy (my real boss) and told her to take care of it because I don't like how you worded your notes. I think I deserve better than that. I told her I wouldn't have given you the day off because of your attitude, but it's in her hands now so it's up to her."

I was like WTF? What kind of pussy is so weak that they get bent out of shape by reading, "This was up for a week and a half if anyone bothered to look."?

Anyway that's all I had to say to her and I went out into the main part of the deli to start working. Well I'm all pissed and mubbling under my breath and I say, "I just say and write what's on my mind and if someone doesn't like it, too bad." Now she didn't hear this, but some guy that works down in the seafood department did and so he yells out, "Hey Ann. He said, I just say and write what's on my mind and if someone doesn't like it, too bad."

So this dickhead escalates everything by repeating this and she's all like, "Oh is that right. Is that what you said." So at that poijnt I was fed the fuck up and I turned around and said, "YES I DID!"

Then she jumps on the intercom yelling for the store director to come to the deli. Well turns out he's not around and she says, "I will talk to Chuck tomorrow and this will be taken care of." Then this asshole that started up more shit says to me, "Sucks when someone fucks with your world doesn't it Andrew?" I was like, "So what." Then he says, "Huh? So what? I'll tell you right now it'll take more than the Glassboro police to get me off of you if you piss me off." So now I'm getting threatened.

So then everything died down and hardly anyone spoke to me all night. Then today I go into the store about 3 hours before my actual shift started and went back to talk to the store director and see if I could get things worked out before I came to work. I was in his office no more than a minute when I said, "If anyone should be pissed it's me because...." he cut me off there and said, "You should be pissed? After the notes you left that woman?" WTF?!?!?! What are these people? Total wimps? They're going on like I wrote, "Change my schedule or I'll cut ya ear to ear.", but I didn't. There was nothing really hurtful or threatening in the notes I left.

So anyway he kicks me out of his office and says we'll discuss it when I come into work. I tried to get a couple more words in but he just kept repeating, "Get out of my office. Get out of my office now."

So now I'm hittin' the roof. I go out to my car and get on my cell phone to Local 56 which is the union I belong to. I got the machine and the guy did eventually get back to me and told me what to say if it looks like they're gonna give me the boot.

Well, I went in for my shift at 5pm and went to the time clock. Swiped my card once, *burrrrr* rejected. Twice *burrrr* rejected. Three times *burrrr* rejected. Walk back to the deli and there's the store director, the deli manager (my boss) and some guy that manages the meat department but always seems to be around when shit goes down. They're all waiting for me.

We go in the back and Chuck the store director says, "We tried to call you to save you a trip." I said, "Why I was here a few hours ago and you told me to leave. You couldn't say anything then?"

They probably didn't like that, but fuck 'em. Then I said, "Before anything is said, I want to make clear that if this meeting has anything to do with disciplinary actions including suspension or termination then I refuse to participate without representation of Dan Ross from UFCW Local 56."

With that Chuck said, "Very well. That's your right. You're now suspended pending termination. Go home."

All because I want to celibrate my daughter's birthday. Isn't life grand?

This all isn't really over. I will be back in the store with representation from the union, but who knows what they will work out. I really don't think I can be fired over leaving two notes that they didn't like the way they sounded. Who knows.

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You probably shouldn't take my advice seeing as I haven't taken my anti-psychotic medication today, but my advice is to buy a firearm and kill 'em all.

Then again, that was my advice to my mother after the fuckers at Lowe's wouldn't replace our dishwasher despite the fact that our nine-month-old (the complete warranty is one year) dishwasher had a defective part that was completely unfixable, that was just now discovered, and my mother just got out of the hospital from a hysterectomy, so it's not like she can unhook the dishwasher, load it into the car, and take it back herself, and it's not like we can do the dishes manually because the hot water line isn't fucking turned on to the kitchen because the fucking dishwasher is broken, and oh god I'm getting so pissed off right now I'm just going to go make my own thread about it and then go to bed. <img src=smilies/angryfire.gif>

That really sucks to hear about those asshole employers of yours. I hope someone rapes every one of them and then kills them in the most painful way possible.

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> You probably shouldn't take my advice seeing as I haven't
> taken my anti-psychotic medication today, but my advice is
> to buy a firearm and kill 'em all.
>

No, no, no! I've already thought about that.

> Then again, that was my advice to my mother after the
> fuckers at Lowe's wouldn't replace our dishwasher despite
> the fact that our nine-month-old (the complete warranty is
> one year) dishwasher had a defective part that was
> completely unfixable, that was just now discovered, and my
> mother just got out of the hospital from a hysterectomy,

That's as fucked up as my story.

> That really sucks to hear about those asshole employers of
> yours. I hope someone rapes every one of them and then kills
> them in the most painful way possible.
>

Thank's for feeling my pain. Just don't try to feel anything else. <img src=smilies/laff.gif>

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I would just apologize for anything that they may have taken offense too, then explain why you were so frustrated.

IMO thats the path for the best resolution...

<P ID="signature">--//--</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Tsyni on 02/17/04 11:27 PM.</FONT></P>
 
That sounds about right.

I once worked for a Quizno's on Fowler. Busted my ass for two weeks to get the job. Everyone there is a good two years younger than me, includign the manager, a 15 year old redhead named steve (who is also actiely homosexual)

So on my second day, Steve asks me to get a broom and sweep. Which I did. And in order to do so, I walked by him, broom in hand, through a narrow walkway in the back.

Two days later, i was suspended and fired for assaulting him with a broom. The owner told me it was my word against his and he had to trust the kid he has managing the store while he's gone.

I lasted a whole two days there and got fired. Why? Because a claim of threatening physical violence against a gay kid is a hate crime in florida. and ANYTHING resembling a hate crime, whether it actually is or not, will get you in deep shit here.

I thought it was funny... one queer manager hates me and if i don't blow it off and accept my firing, I could have ended up spending my freshman year of college in jail.

So yeah, i believe you being suspended for wanting time with your kid.

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> I would just apologize for anything that they may have taken
> offense too, then explain why you were so frustrated.
>
> IMO thats the path for the best resolution...
>

I won't be doing that. In fact I believe that if they are indeed firing me based on the wording of the notes that it's a direct violation of my first amendment rights. Those notes were in no way threatening or even hurtfull.

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> This all isn't really over. I will be back in the store with
> representation from the union, but who knows what they will
> work out. I really don't think I can be fired over leaving
> two notes that they didn't like the way they sounded.

That really sucks, I'm sorry. I hope things work out. You might have to suck up to them and apologize if things come to that, since all you really did was hurt someone's ego in the first place.

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<img src=smilies/headshake.gif> Is this the kind of place that can fire you for two reasons? Those being "any reason and no reason at all?"

In any event, if you are fired, then it'll probably be over your two sick days you had just previous to the days requested off. But since you requested time off well in advance, then you'll have to explain why the request never got to your boss. That being your supervisor (or at least I think she's your supervisor) was lazy or has it in for ya. Showing frusteration is not something I would advise when you return for that meeting.

Hope this works out for ya.

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> I won't be doing that. In fact I believe that if they are
> indeed firing me based on the wording of the notes that
> it's a direct violation of my first amendment rights. Those
> notes were in no way threatening or even hurtfull.

I feel bad that you're in this situation, but the first thought that pops into mind in regards to that reply is: "whiny damn american ass". Obviously you have rights, but it would be so simple to try and resolve the problem without conflict.


<P ID="signature">--//--</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Tsyni on 02/17/04 11:46 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> Is this the kind of place that can fire you for two
> reasons? Those being "any reason and no reason at all?"
>
> In any event, if you are fired, then it'll probably be over
> your two sick days you had just previous to the days
> requested off.

Nope. I was told by my doctor to stay out those two days and was written a note for it. As long as they are turned in at work, which they were, then I'm free from any action.

> But since you requested time off well in
> advance, then you'll have to explain why the request never
> got to your boss. That being your supervisor (or at least I
> think she's your supervisor) was lazy or has it in for ya.

The assistant told me that it was an oversight on her part that I wasn't off, but since she didn't like the way I wrote the notes, she left it up to my actual boss to decide what to do.



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Sounds similar to one of my previous jobs at a supermarket. In the state of Virginia (where I live) the rules state that an employment contract can be broken by either party for any reason or no reason at all. In turn, there is no protection against wrongful termination. The job I speak of that I lost I had to quit from because it was my word against my manager's. As unprofessional as he was about it, I had no power to stop him from firing me whenever. So I quit. And sometimes that may be the best thing you can do. In any case, I hope things work out better for you than they did for me.

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Move to Canada, at my work after the first 3 months you need 4 written warning, 4 verbal warning and then 4 final written warnings to get fired, and there is a small period you have to wait between warnings, however there are of course a few things that will get you fired on the spot.

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I got fired once.....sort of. I was working as a bus boy at this restuarant and, for some reason, the management didn't like me. One justification I heard (second hand, mind you) was that I crumpled a straw wrapper on the floor. I probably did do this -- I tend to mindlessly play with things when I'm bored -- but it seems kind of a silly reason to fire me. I never really found out why they fired me because they never really told me to my face.....they just took me off the schedule. I didn't put up a fuss because I hated working there anyway, but it kind of annoyed me that they didn't have the balls to tell me to my face.

Anyway, sorry to hear about your firing. It sounds really lame to me. I mean, I don't have the thickest of skins, but the whole "if anybody had bothered to look" jab isn't one that would keep me up nights. One thing that pisses me off is that it's probably because the note was written to a woman. Women aren't fucking barbie dolls. If they can't take a note like that, then they shouldn't be working (same goes for a dude).....and if the boss is playing "protect the female", then he needs a serious fucking attitude adjustment.

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> A week and a half ago I had left a note to my boss that I
> needed off for two days actually. The 18th for my daughter's
> actual birthday and the 21st for the bowling party me and
> her mother are throwing for her.

Problem 1...never assume a note will make it to the right person. I dunno how much contact you ever had with your boss or the assistant you speak of, but I would have spoken to them directly, even if they wind up simply telling you to leave them a note, because then, you're making absolute sure that them not seeing your note is 100% their fault. I'm not saying that they shouldn't have seen the note you left anyways, but that would have been a good first step to take to ensure that it would get taken care of.

> Sunday I go into work, look at the schedule and while it
> seem I had the 18th off the 21st I didn't. So now I'm
> pissed.

In your job, did you get sick and vacation time seperately or together? And were you at all running out of either? Actually, regardless, it would be hard anyways to be able to miss so many days in such a short time. That's the problem with being sick though...you can't control it, and unfortunately for you, it came at a really bad time.

> Then I look at the calendar which is on a clipboard
> where we put all our requests on. Well there's my note,
> still sitting there unmoved, never even glanced at. Now I'm
> very fucking pissed.

As I would be, but you really have to subside that before encountering the assistant, because the assistant and/or boss obviously may have been completely unaware of the note, and any anger coming off on your part will just make them think "fine then, screw YOU...you won't get those days off!" and it sounds like that's exactly what went through the assistant's mind.

> So I take a piece of paper and I wrote, "I am not working
> the 21st! I specifically requested off for my daughter's
> bowling party. Also the 18th for her actual birthday.". Then
> I took the note that seemed to be ignored and attached it to
> the paper and wrote on it, "This was up for a week and a
half if anyone bothered to look.".

Again with the note? You saw how the first one went over. If it were me, I would have taken the soonest opportunity to speak with the assistant or your boss. This time, the reasoning is so that they can't possibly misconstrue your thoughts and feelings (or the thoughts and feelings you want to let off). I'm sure you didn't want to piss either of them off, so even if you accidentally do that when you speak with them, you're right there to say "Look, I'm sorry if I'm coming off angry...this took me off guard (which it did) and I've been scheduling around having those 2 days off." or something to that degree. You can't do that if they find a note from you and it looks like you're pissed off, which unfortunately, "if anyone bothered to look" comes off that way.

To be honest, I was in the exact same boat as you, although in a different way. In the part-time "job" I had before my job now, working for my mom's bf here at home, I got lax with turning in my timesheets. Supposed to do it weekly, and I'd let em go for 2-3 weeks at a time. So I had a 3-weeker once and he decided to wait to pay me as a sort of punishment. One night, my friend comes over (after 2 weeks in Florida, so I hadn't seen him in a long time), and this was during the time my dad was really doing awful in the hospital, so I was feeling relief from life and just having fun. So my mom's bf decided to pick that time to try to pay me. I pretty much ignored him, didn't get paid, and then the next day, since I was broke, I was wanting to get paid.

Well, my mom told me the night before to leave him a note requesting that he pay me. Bad fucking idea. I seriously put it in just about the nicest way I could think of, which unfortunately for me, came off to him as demanding that he pay me, which is not at all what I wanted. Long story short, I got chewed out for literally HOURS by both he and my mom for that note. Ever since that, I've understood the incredible negative powers of a note. We're long past the time of love letters....now there's just pink slips and breakup notes. It's really hard to escape sounding negatively in a note...it's the most bizarre thing in the world.

> Monday, yesterday, I go into work and I ask the assistant,
> "So what's up with Saturday."

I hate to nitpick, but since this whole situation is a combination of little things becoming big things, I may as well. The best choice of words would have been "Did you get my note?" In fact, that would be the perfect way to not only inquire about this note, but reiterate your point of them not getting your first one. This choice of words says to me that you expect getting Saturday off. It's up to you whether that's how you wanted to come off...I mean would you have wanted to keep working there if you weren't able to get those 2 days off? Or would you have quit? If you would have quit, then almost everything this point on doesn't really matter because at least from how your assistant responded to you, you would probably not be getting those days off.

> She just looks at me all
> pissed off and says, "I don't know! I handed all that to
> Wendy (my real boss) and told her to take care of it because
> I don't like how you worded your notes. I think I deserve
> better than that. I told her I wouldn't have given you the
day off because of your attitude, but it's in her hands now
so it's up to her."

At this point, SPEAK UP! Say "I didn't mean for that to come off negatively." and such. Stopping it there stops it on a bad note, and well...that bad note carries over to your boss.

> I was like WTF? What kind of pussy is so weak that they get
> bent out of shape by reading, "This was up for a week and a
> half if anyone bothered to look."?

A lot of pussies. People suck, dude. Bosses, assistants, whatever. People with cool bosses are lucky, because it doesn't happen often. A lot of people get offended easily over stupid shit. It sucks to have to bear that in mind, but when it comes to protecting your ass from something snowballing, you have to.

> Now she didn't hear this, but some guy that works
> down in the seafood department did and so he yells out, "Hey
> Ann. He said, I just say and write what's on my mind and if
> someone doesn't like it, too bad."

The guy sounds like a serious asshole. Who the fuck is he to do shit like that?

> So this dickhead escalates everything by repeating this and
> she's all like, "Oh is that right. Is that what you said."
> So at that poijnt I was fed the fuck up and I turned around
> and said, "YES I DID!"

The guy fucked you over...you really were fucked from the point of him screaming that out, which of course sucks, but as I've pointed out, there were things you could have done to prevent the snowballing. All you can really do is learn from it, even if it's learning that you have to do a little defensive driving to avoid the pansies out there that can't drive or else you'll get into an accident.

> "I will talk to Chuck tomorrow and this will
> be taken care of."

AKA you're fired, pretty much.

> "Sucks when someone fucks with your world
> doesn't it Andrew?" I was like, "So what." Then he says,
> "Huh? So what? I'll tell you right now it'll take more than
> the Glassboro police to get me off of you if you piss me
> off." So now I'm getting threatened.

Seriously, what the fuck is with that guy? You didn't start any beef with him before, did you?

>"If anyone should be pissed it's me
> because...." he cut me off there and said, "You should be
> pissed? After the notes you left that woman?"

You forgot to bear in mind that so far, he's heard only one side of the story, and unfortunately for you, that one side is shared by your boss and the assistant. So there's 2 "nay"s, people higher up than you, and right off the bat you're trying to convince him that you outweigh both of them. Not gonna happen, dude. You have to ease into it. Start from the beginning, say that your initial note went completely ignored and that your 2nd note was misconstrued as being negative and that after the talk with your boss, you were frustrated, hence the remark (explaining that remark away would be futile if you ask me, but I still think you were screwed after that jackass yelled it out), That way, he knows your whole side of the story before you even begin to try to put yourself over your boss and the assistant. Instead, you jumped right to that point, and this guy has NOTHING to go on except that you admitted you're pissed off. So now, he's got your boss and her assistant saying you're being pissed off and ornery about this matter, and the first thing you say is that you're pissed off.

> WTF?!?!?!
> What are these people? Total wimps? They're going on like I
> wrote, "Change my schedule or I'll cut ya ear to ear.", but
> I didn't. There was nothing really hurtful or threatening in
> the notes I left.

You never SAID that to anyone. If they tell you it's negative and you don't correct them, what are they supposed to think?

> We go in the back and Chuck the store director says, "We
> tried to call you to save you a trip." I said, "Why I was
> here a few hours ago and you told me to leave. You couldn't
> say anything then?"

That's really a valid point to make, and the director should have told you about it when you first talked to him in the morning. Nothing you can do though.

> With that Chuck said, "Very well. That's your right. You're
> now suspended pending termination. Go home."
> All because I want to celibrate my daughter's birthday.
> Isn't life grand?

I'm sure even you realize you could have prevented some of that crap from happening. It's not to say that they aren't shitty people, but despite how they are, if you went about it the right way, you MAY have been able to get those days off and prevent getting fired for trying. Then again, they may have not had any intention of letting you have those days off probably because of you being sick, and in that case, if you wanted to keep the job, you'd obviously have to bite the bullet.

> This all isn't really over. I will be back in the store with
> representation from the union, but who knows what they will
> work out. I really don't think I can be fired over leaving
> two notes that they didn't like the way they sounded. Who
> knows.

All I can say is that if you stay, you better not fuck anything up, because given that they want to fire you, all the need is 1 reason to do it. If they can't find it yet, they'll wait for one to reveal itself. I mean seriously...at this point, you're already fired in their minds. I wish you luck though. Hopefully, this will be one of those rare cases when they will see the root causes of all this crap and realize that it's all over petty shit and not worth you being fired.

By the way, have fun with your daughter on her bday parties. <img src=smilies/thumb.gif>

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I really must say, that is really screwed up. Are they all so stuck-up that all they care about is themselves and they can't deal with things like "one of the workers might want time off to spend with his family?" I would have done the same thing you did in that situation.

Well, here's my two cents... I'll even throw in an extra penny for you. At this point, with everyone acting the way they have toward you, not getting fired may end up being worse than having to find a new job. If you remain there, who's to say that they're not going to be total idiots towards you from now on? I don't think something like this will be "swept under the rug" if you keep your job... I have a feeling that if these are the kind of people that get upset over the notes you left them, they'll act even dumber about everything else you do in the future at the workplace.

Go into the meeting with your head held high; you know that you're better than these people, so be as dignified as possible. And if you end up fired? Just turn around as you walk out the door, act all cocky and say, "That okay, I was planning on quitting anyways so I can get a better job." Even if it's not true, that'll burn them more than anything else... and you'll be sure to be remembered.

I wish you good luck and I hope that everything works out how you want it to.

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> You probably shouldn't take my advice seeing as I haven't
> taken my anti-psychotic medication today, but my advice is
> to buy a firearm and kill 'em all.

I was going to suggest to burn the building down. Maybe you should do both.

> That really sucks to hear about those asshole employers of
> yours. I hope someone rapes every one of them and then kills
> them in the most painful way possible.

Any volunteers?

On a serrious note, that must suck, but if the guys you were working for are going to act like that, then you're probably better off working somewhere else.

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> On a serrious note, that must suck, but if the guys you were
> working for are going to act like that, then you're probably
> better off working somewhere else. Good luck finding another
> job.

This reply is to the other people who have said similar things as well...It sounds like you guys are being big babies, wtf obviously there was just some miscommunication and this situation escalated, both parties could have handled things diferently, fucking christ.


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> Now she didn't hear this, but some guy that works
> down in the seafood department did and so he yells out, "Hey
> Ann. He said, I just say and write what's on my mind and if
> someone doesn't like it, too bad."

I suggest you kick the shit out of this motherfucker if you get fired. Little troublemaking bitches like this need to get a nine iron upside the skull.

Or at least call him gay.

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> This reply is to the other people who have said similar
> things as well...It sounds like you guys are being big
> babies, wtf obviously there was just some miscommunication
> and this situation escalated, both parties could have
> handled things diferently, fucking christ.

I dunno, from the sound of it, he's not exactly mr. popular over there. He probably is better off working in an environment where there isn't so much bad blood. I agree that he could have dealt with it differently, but if something like this is going to get him fired, it's an indication of a bigger problem.

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> I dunno, from the sound of it, he's not exactly mr. popular
> over there. He probably is better off working in an
> environment where there isn't so much bad blood. I agree
> that he could have dealt with it differently, but if
> something like this is going to get him fired, it's an
> indication of a bigger problem.

I don't really know for sure, but you're probably more right than wrong, those replies were just a bit annoying. I understand this is a place where people should be supportive, but sometimes it does more harm than good.



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