Lost my job

[DemonicUnicorn2]

I don't want any sympathy but I just got fired from my first job which I was at for 3 and a half years. Got me completely from left field with 30 minutes left on my shift. Typical of my former employer though, someone files a workers comp claim, they treat them less equally and nit-pick to find a reason to fire you. They nit-picked my attendance which was as 8.25 points, which is .25 points above the warning level: 10 points and you're fired. So needless to say I feel it was bull shat but I need a job as soon as possible so if anyone knows of places hiring in the Akron, Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, Tallmadge or surrounding areas let me know.

a little background on me: 5 years machining background. 2 years of that were vocational classes in high school ,machine trades; which i won our machining competition between the other area schools. half way through an apprenticeship program. in the apprenticeship program my teacher didn't make me take a final or show up the last 2 weeks because he knew i would just get yet another A+, he would rather me stay at home and leave the machines open for the other students. always willing to help, I'm nice and work best independently. Great at math, English, (airsoft), and I'm a good leader. I was the go-to guy in my department... even for the people who have been in my department for 25+ years, so I know what I'm doing and learn very fast.

but yeah, ill take anything thats decent, minus fast food. oh, and I'm assuming SGS Tool Company won't hire me back, at least not yet.

[jimmypop]

that sucks, did they give a specific reason why they fired you?
if it was really BS i would hire an attorney and get your job back especially with the former workers comp claim.

[Sims]

That sucks dude. But if you're looking for a job, GE Consumer Finance is always hiring in Canton. I really can't imagine a better place to work...

[Blackeagles Delta]

That just sucks man.I was in the same boat.My 2nd job lasted 2 weeks, good part of it was i got 200$ out of it.I should get another one soon.

[DemonicUnicorn2]

it was a legal firing, they nit picked my attendance im assuming because my department was a head of its self for a little while. they changed our attendance policy and never told people that they dont require forming a team (basically like a jury of people you worked with) who make the decision to fire or give probation or whatever, for attendance related 'problems'. but from what ive heard from people who i still talk to from there, they regret firing me because i was the only one to do special orders.

[strikers_blade]

While I am sorry for you, may I ask what "attendance" issues we are talking about here?

[DemonicUnicorn2]

a few months back i had family issues, they involved me missing or being late into work a few times, sometimes due to deaths. put that on top of them moving me to first shift from 3rd shift on 2 days notice, which is quite hard to do and made me be late a few times. my points got up to 9.75 points, then back down to 8. got a car accident and was late due to needing to hitch a ride last minute and they fire me. not immediately, they waited till a month after the last day i was late to fire me. they claimed it as 'repeat offender' since i was late and got back up above 8 points. mind you, we had no sick days or anything. there was one time i was throwing up blood at work when i had 9.75 points and they wouldnt let me leave and go to the hospital. so i stayed and worked for another 3 hours till they had to send me to the hospital.

however we have 3 new guys on first shift who have 9 points. they didnt get fired though.

[<Maverick>]

dude...that sounds like a place i would be glad not to work at! if they're making you stay while spewing shards of your own pelvis...thats sad. you're better off.

[Kingmob3]

I'd go with Mav on this one, when they wont let you leave do to apparent illness you've got bigger problems.
KM

[DemonicUnicorn2]

yeah, i just got hired at Akron Tool & Dye. great place and better work. so let the past be the past. now i can actually show what im capable of!!!!

[<Maverick>]

congrats....

[FerretFace]

Isn't that illegal to not let you go to the hospital?

[jimmypop]

however we have 3 new guys on first shift who have 9 points. they didnt get fired though.

you can screw them sideways.
they have to apply the rules equally to all employees.
the company i work for just released a few 20 management types and a VP for not applying rules equally to all employees.

[<Maverick>]

yea, i would think that falls somewhere under the EEO bylaws...course if you were a chick you could just sue them for sexual harrassment! lol.

[DemonicUnicorn2]

im not going to sue them or anything. dont see the point. just be stressful and cost me a lot of money until it settles. plus its a privately owned company with the 3 owners all very active in the community: funding city projects and the such. i doubt id honestly get a %100 fair trial anyways.

[Devildog]

Congrats on your new job bro. The problem with Ohio is that it is a "hire at will, fire at will" state. There are of course loop holes but generaly unless the company broke a documented employee dismissal policy in a handbook, you can do NOTHING. I know it sucks and I ran into a problem many years ago with a dismissal which I felt was BS but there is little you can do and even if a lawyer will take your case, they will want big $$$ up front. Just move on. Congrats again bro and hope to see you on the battlefield soon!

[Big Clips]

I would like to say I know where youre comming from.

I got fired from my gig back in Febuary for not doing something aginst the best intrest of a client. As did my dad, and his secratary.

That came after truckloads of family issues that have now incresed since the firing.

I have learned though lawsuits suck. I have been in one ever since I took my new job with another company. Ohio is a right to work state, so they can fire you for anything. A company is not obliated to employ you by any means.

[TheBanker]

My employee handbook says that I can be fired for "any reason, or no reason, and with any amount of notice, or no notice at all." And when they do, it's a cardboard box, 15 minutes, and an escort. You can't even say goodbye. People talk about lack of company loyalty these days, but when you know they can, and will (and have plenty of times in my 10 years there), treat you like nothing more than a used tissue, it's understandable. Even being a good employee can't make you feel secure, because I've seen lots of good employees tossed out on their ear like last night's kung pow chicken.

[DemonicUnicorn2]

its a shame, especially since it was a family owned company and all. the owner is actually a great guy but his underlings are the biggest CUNextTuesdays ive ever met. and of course im an extremely honest person so when ive had interviews they ask "whyd they let you go at SGS?" i say the truth that it was quote-unquote repeat attendance offender and that if they want to know the truth call my shift coach who i have as a referral. luckily she actually knew the value of a skilled employee with a good work ethic. she had nothing to do with the firing and was actually made to take a day off for blowing up on our plant manager over me being fired.

[Wraith]

Actually, Big Clips, Ohio is not a right to work state. A right to work state is anti-union. So far Ohio is not anti-union though it may be coming down the pipe. Also employers are able to pay thier employers without taking taxes out on them. This puts the responability of taxes on the employees. But also what it does is mean the employer can pay in cash. Sound good? It's not. Because the employer can pay in cash there is no record as to whether the employer is actually PAYING their employees. I worked with a construction outfit in Arizona several years ago that paid in cash. (Arizona is a right to work state). Everything went fine for several weeks and then the bosses son was due to get married. For one month the whole crew worked our tails off and none of us got paid. The money that we were making was actually going to pay for the bosses son's wedding. Because there was no records showing that we had or hadn't been paid we had to file a lawsuit to get what was owed to us. I don't know what, if anything, came out of that suit. By that time I was down to my last few bucks and decided to pack up and head back east. We are fortunate in some ways not to be a right to work state. We still have unions to stand up for employees. Not that they always do, but...

[Big Clips]

Actually, Big Clips, Ohio is not a right to work state. A right to work state is anti-union. So far Ohio is not anti-union though it may be coming down the pipe. Also employers are able to pay thier employers without taking taxes out on them. This puts the responability of taxes on the employees. But also what it does is mean the employer can pay in cash. Sound good? It's not. Because the employer can pay in cash there is no record as to whether the employer is actually PAYING their employees. I worked with a construction outfit in Arizona several years ago that paid in cash. (Arizona is a right to work state). Everything went fine for several weeks and then the bosses son was due to get married. For one month the whole crew worked our tails off and none of us got paid. The money that we were making was actually going to pay for the bosses son's wedding. Because there was no records showing that we had or hadn't been paid we had to file a lawsuit to get what was owed to us. I don't know what, if anything, came out of that suit. By that time I was down to my last few bucks and decided to pack up and head back east. We are fortunate in some ways not to be a right to work state. We still have unions to stand up for employees. Not that they always do, but...


Ummm,

the piles of paperwork and the 5 digits spent on this lawsuit would beg to differ. You may be correct on some level, as with the Union.

I dont work in an industry with Unions, so we may be on different ends of the spectrum.

[Texx]

All I can really say is that fair goes right out the window in a work environment. Managers often reward loyalty over hard work. SO rather than working your hardest and having pride in what you do, you should learn to cut corners, shift projects onto underlings, and get used to planting your lips on the bosses' butt.

If you work for multiple managers, try not to suck up to any one manager too much, try to equally distribute the butt kissing so that each thinks they are the "boss" but that you know whose butt is most important at that particular time.

Always blame the underling for your mistakes as he really should have gotten claraification anyway.

Oh, and when there are donuts, always offer the boss one first.

Yes, its humiliating and degrading, but eventually you will win the lottery and can tell them all what you really think about them.

[Devildog]

Yes, Posterior Cleavage Smooching 101. Live it and learn it or you will end up like our buddy Milton!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCwC1NJgzl8

[Wraith]

That is very possible. I work with a unionized company and "right to work" is a phrase that is a no no. The phrase was actually coined when the anti-union movement started. Michigan is in the process of becoming a right to work state as we speak. However, I am quite sure the phrase could mean something entirely different. Seems like everything else in the english language has two meanings.

[jimmypop]

say bob goes and breaks a big rule and gets caught. bob is friends with all the managers and they make sure bob gets off with a verbal warning.
6 months later randy breaks the same rule and gets caught. randy is not a very social person and is not friends with any managers. randy is terminated.
randy's attorney will use bobs situation in court and win. randy will get his job back with back pay and also get his attorneys fees paid.
in the case i know of randy was fired again for a rule violation and went to court again but this time randy got a check will into the six figure range along with the job and fees.
bob and all his manager friends are all no longer with the company randy has been promoted and will retire from the company.

this is a true story, the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

[DemonicUnicorn2]

randy will get his job back with back pay and also get his attorneys fees paid.
in the case i know of randy was fired again for a rule violation and went to court again but this time randy got a check will into the six figure range along with the job and fees.

when in reality they do not have to rehire randy, only settle on a amount of money randy wants. And if they do rehire him, he will simply be tormented by some co-workers/ superiors for suing the company, which will lead to him filing complaints of discrimination and prejudice leading to another win in court for randy. and then if he ever gets laid-off due to downsizing (in which you know he'd be the first to go) he would have no good work history and his resume` (if hes honest on it about suing the company) would lead to him not getting hired again.

i see where you're coming from and all, i COULD file suit but its really not worth the trouble. #1 i dont want that job back. #2 you can cause much more damage to the company by simply defaming them on the internet(not really) lol

[jimmypop]

that actually happened and the person is still there working and doing a bad job at it violating all the same rules.
for tormenting you would use hostile workplace. randy did this and a few of my friends were terminated because they were said to be talking bad about randy after written warnings. theres alot of stuff you can do if you know what the rules are.
i have a paid attorney for work stuff because i am going through a bunch of crap with workers comp.
workers comp is a thread for a forum where i can swear.
so far i have caught them lying my lawyer has caught them removing medical records.
they have lied to my company to try and get me fired 3 times now.
and don't get me started on my disability insurance.
speaking of that i need to call my good friend howard and find out if hes ever gonna send the $8000 they owe me........

[AlphaSix]

Ohio is an "at will" state, which means that an employer doesn't need any reason at all to fire you. You can be a great employee for 19.9 years and be ready to retire and the boss can walk out, and say "Sorry, but we have to let you go."

Now, certainly you can hire a lawyer, and attempt to sue, or whatever, but you will need loads of money and an ignorant lawyer because they realize it's an 'at will' state. A job isn't owed to anybody, working for someone else means you're playing by their rules. It's not fair, but then neither is life.

Of course all of this is null and void if you are in some kind of union, and I'll save my opinion on unions for some other time and place ;)

[Big Clips]

Of course all of this is null and void if you are in some kind of union, and I'll save my opinion on unions for some other time and place ;)


Or if you are a party to a legal contract that defines employment.

[CAR15A2]

It usually sucks to lose a job. In this case it looks like more of a blessing. If the working conditions are as you descibe you are much better off out of there. Remember that "at will" employment goes both ways. I am often surprized that so many people hate their jobs, but do nothing to change the situation.
I would rather not have to work for a living, but I like my job. If I hated it, or even disliked it, I would find something else

Since you have already found another job with what you describe as a better place to work you are the winner here. The heck with the other place.

You are smart not to waste your time suing, your odds of winning are miniscule, and no one will want to hire you if you have a reputation as someone that files lawsuits. Every now and then you hear about someone winning such a suit, but for each winner there are 100 losers. Even the winners often never see a penny because they lose on appeal and/or the lawyer takes most of the winnings.