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Wrongful Termination - Add Assault Charge

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Hollister, CADave believes he was wrongfully terminated, shortly after he was harassed and physically assaulted by the owner of the company.

“I worked two years as the back counter parts guy for a truck parts company,” says Dave. “It was my job to supply all the needed parts and outside service required for big rigs. I worked in a little box; the working conditions were not great but I did the best I could. I was never late for work, there was never any disciplinary action, and I did a good job.

“This is the first incident: I was punching out at the time clock at the end of the day and the owner was standing nearby. I told him that I forgot to punch out for lunch. (My co-workers were present.) ‘You ain’t worth a shit,’ he said. I thought, whatever, maybe he was kidding.

“Next up was the physical altercation. A material similar to kitty litter is used as an absorbent to pick up spills in the shop. We were running low so I ordered more. The owner confronted me by grabbing my arm and then he tried to drag me over to the container containing this stuff to show me that I had gotten the wrong grade (it comes in fine, medium and coarse). I pulled away and said, ‘Don’t put your hands on me,’ and I also said, ‘You don’t have the right to do that and don’t do it again.’ At this point we were standing face to face. He then shoved me in the chest. After he did that I had an immediate reaction I was going to defend myself. But I didn’t. Instead I walked away and that was pretty much the end of that.

“Several days later, he came over to where I was working and said he needed something; he stood over me and was just being a dick. It was very uncomfortable trying to work. And the name-dropping was endless, he called me stupid little nick-names. For example, I ordered filters for a truck and one was incorrect. I was outside on my break and he called me ‘Filter Man,’ just to throw a jab at me. Another time he called me ‘Blank head.’ ”

Dave endured harassment from the owner and working in a hostile environment from June 2012, until May of this year. It reached a boiling point when Dave got into a minor disagreement with the service manager: some situations are unavoidable when you work in close quarters.

“We just blew off a little steam and at the time it was no big deal,” Dave explains. “I had the start of a migraine and said I was going home, I left two hours early. I get migraines now and again so I called in sick the next day. Over the phone, I was told that my services were no longer required. I asked for a letter of termination. I went to work the next day to get my last check and letter, which simply said, ‘Dave no longer works at commercial truck company.’ Period. No reason for my termination. I asked for an explanation but the manager said, ‘Your service is no longer needed,’ that’s all he wrote.

“I believe I have been wrongfully terminated. To add salt to the wound, I was one of the lowest-paid workers there. I think the problems with me and the owner stemmed from how I stood up for myself.” Dave could also charge the owner with assault.

“I don’t know if I have a claim but this has really put a hardship on me; it is hard to find a job at 56 years old,” Dave says. “Emotionally, I am totally wiped out.

“I am collecting unemployment insurance but I have a wife (who works part-time) and three kids to support (trying to get them through college), and a mortgage. I’d sure like to make this guy pay something. Someone else I know worked there and quit, due to all the verbal abuse. I can provide many character witnesses, and a few saw the physical altercation. All of them said they would back me up, even though they are afraid of retaliation.”

The California labor board doesn’t tolerate harassment, particularly when it reaches physical assault. As well, a hostile Work Place and Wrongful Termination is in violation of the California labor code.

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READER COMMENTS

Posted by

on
I am sorry to hear about your issues Dave, I hope things go well for you! I would like share my wrongful termination issue, I am a disabled Veteran and I believe the company violated my FMLA rights as well as my ADA rights, I was terminated from employment on 04/02/2013 for violating company policy for entering the store 1 hour early and by myself, they explained to me that I could have fallen or got injured and nobody would know about it putting the company at risk, the irony of this statement was the fact that they made me work by myself on Christmas Day 2012, no help just by myself, wouldn't the same argument apply, why is it ok for the company to violate their own policy but when I come in early to catch up on work it becomes a safety issue? The company has violated their own policy on many occasions without terminating any employee, two examples, during the major snow storm of Feb 2013 only one person could make it in, he entered the store by himself, did not get a second person until couple hours later, no disciplinary action taken, second I worked with a GM in Colorado that came in every day for 3 months at 3am so he can leave by 12 noon, no action taken but to tell him he needed to be there for the customers and for inspections.
I think the company had a hidden agenda for termination, beginning March of 2012 to 1 week before I was terminated I have been having problems with Diverticulitus, once it abscessed and I was very sick, nearly lost my life, the company knew I was very sick and rather dealing with FMLA they came up with this excuse to terminate. After the termination I went into surgery for 8 hours and ended up close to a 25 day stay at the hospital trying to recover from my ordeal.
My end result, the only income I have is VA Disability of $600.00 a month, I have no other income and my rent is $800.00 a month, plus utilities of Gas, Water, and Electric, I have a wife and two children to support, we will soon be homeless because I am no long able to pay.
Unemployment has turned me down because they claim I that I was terminated for misconduct, what a slap in the face for coming in early to help get extra work done for a company that I was so loyal to.
If anyone out there can put me in touch with any other agencies that can help I would appreciate this, I will be ready to go back to work hopefully in August of 2013 once my Ostomy has been reversed. Once again Dave I am sorry for your troubles, thanks for listening!

Posted by

on
I AM SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR ISSUES.IDE ALSO LIKE TO SHARE MINE.I WORKED FOR AARONS INC.(ACTUALLY,I THINK I STILL DO) THEY JUST TOLD ME THEY CAN FIRE ME IF IM NOT BACK BY 5 WEEKS FROM TODAY.IN MY INTERVIEW I WAS TOLD ABOUT THIS COMPANY NEW TO OUR LOCATION A VERY SMALL TOWN AND I WAS SO EXCITED BECAUSE I COULD GROW THIS NEW STORE AND IT WAS ONLY 5 MINUTES FROM HOME IVE BEEN COMMUTING FOR YEARS IT WAS AWESOME TO BE BACK HOME IN A MANAGEMENT POSITION.THE MANAGER AFTER I STARTED TOLD ME THE SALES MANAGER WAS INJURED AT WORK AND I WOULD BE TAKING HER POSITION OF COURSE I ASKED WELL WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SHE COMES BACK? HIS RESPONSE WAS SHES FAT AND UGLY IDE MUCH RATHER HAVE SOMEONE LIKE YOU REPRESENTING AARONS..THESE COMMENTS WERE ALL THE TIME..I HAD A DAY OFF REQUESTED AND I WANTED PROOF THAT HE WAS GONNA GIVE IT TO ME SO...I RECORDED ON MY CELL PHONE PLACED ON MY DESK.I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS ILLEGAL TO RECORD AS THE MANAGER TOLD US WE WERE RECORDED PHYSICALLY AND SO WERE OUR VOICES.ANYWAYS,WHAT I HEARD ON THE RECORDING WAS AWFUL! IT SPOKE OF THE AGE OF MY BOYFRIEND AND SEX AND MY PHYSICAL LOOKS UT MADE ME CRY!I THOUGHT IY OVER AND DECIDED THAT SOMETHING HAD TO BE DONE.I CALLED AND SPOKE WITH THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COMPANY AND HE ASSURES ME AFTER I TOLD HIM WHAT THIS RECORDING SAID THAT IF I TOLD HIM WHERE I WAS THAT HE WOULD TAKE CARE OF THE SITUATION AND I HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT..THAT WED WAS MY DAY OFF AND A MAN INVESTIGATOR FLEW IN AND MET ME HERE.I SENT THEM THE RECORDING LIKE THEY HAD ASKED.ANYWAYS THEY ENDED UP LETTING THAT MANAGER GO,SMALL COMPANIES AND RUMORS GO AROUND ALOT.SO WHEN WE HEARD THEY WERE INTERVIEWING FOR A NEW MANAGER AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE WERE LETS CALL HER JILL.WE ALL NEW THAT NO MATTER WHOM INTERVIEWS IT WOULD BE JILL BECAUSE AS RUMORS HAD IT JILL AND THE REGIONAL WERE HAVING AN AFFAIR. WELL,THATS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED AND LIFE AS I KNEW IT WAS HISTORY!JILL IS 23 AND BELIEVES AND SAYS TO ME IF A GUY IS FLIRTING USE YOUR GOOD LOOKS AND MAKE THE SALE.WELL,WE SALE FURNITURE NOT THAT!ANYWAYS COMMENTS ABOUT MY BOOBS UMONG OTHER THINGS BECAME EVERYDAY TOPICS..ON THE 29TH OF NOVEMBER WE HAD A SUPER HEAVY SOFA TO DELIVER AND JILL TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED TO DELIGATE MORE SO I TOLD THE C.S.R TO GO ON THE DELIVERY AS WE WERE A GUY SHORT.AT THAT TIME SHE MADE ME GO AS WELL..I HURT MY FOOT IN THE RAINY MUDDY DELIVERY AND THERE WAS THREE OF US.NOTHING WAS WRITTEN UP ABOUT MY INJURY FOR MONTHS,I STARTED TO HAVE A GROWTH ON YHE BOTTOM AND THE NEW INVESTIGATOR CAME IN TO ASK HOW THINGS WERE GOING ALONG WITH THE LAWYER. I TOLD HIM OF THAT AND SO AN INJURY PAPER WAS DONE..I HAD THE POLICE DEPARTMENT COME IN ALSO EARLIER BECAUSE OF THE RECORDING I HAD MADE OF THE FIRST MANAGER,THE REGIONAL MANAGER HAPPENED TO BE THERE THAT DAY AND HE'S BARELY EVER THERE AFTER THAT CONVERSATION WHEN I LEARNED IT WAS ILLEGAL TO RECORD SOMEONE I WAS CLEARLY UPSET AND I ASKED THE OFFICER TO PLEASE ASK THE REGIONAL IF I COULD GO HOME I WAS CRYING AND HE SAID NO! ANYWAYS ON FEBRUARY 14TH VALENTINES DAY WE SOLD ANOTHER OF THIS SOFA THE SAME ONE I HURT MY FOOT ON WITH THREE OF US! I WAS SENT OUT WITH THE DELIVERY GUY ALONE AND WE CLOSE AT 7 BUT WE WERE RUNNING LATE FROM OTHER DELIVERIES, I CALLED JILL AND TOLD HER I WAS GONNA HAVE A MEAL AND BREAK VIOLATION SHOULD I COME TAKE A LUNCH AS WE WERE IN THE BACK UNLOADING CARDBOARD BEFORE THIS SOFA DELIVERY SHE SAID NO JUST DELIVER IT! SO WE DROVE THE 45 MINUTES THERE AND MY LIFE CHANGED! WHEN PICKING UP THE SOFA I FELT A HUGE PINCH IN MY BACK AND IT HAS STILL NOT WENT AWAY! IVE BEEN ON W.C FOR 4 MONTHS AND THEY REFUSED TO GIVE ME AN M.R
I ON MY BACK ONLY A DOCTOR FEELING WITH HIS HANDS.I AM UNABLE TO LIVE MY LIFE AND DO ANYTHING I LOVE! MY YARD IS MY FAVORITE THING AND I CANT EVEN PICK A WEED! MY FOOT THEY ARE DOING AN M.R.I ON TOMORROW BUT DENIED MY BACK..I WANT TO KNOW WHATS GOING ON I HAVE 4 DRPENDANTS AND MAKE HALF WHAT I WAS MAKING AND THEY TOOK AWAY MY INSURANCE WITCH I CANT AFFORD NOW AND IM BEHIND ON EVERYTHING.I KNOW I WASNT LIKED BUT REALLY WHY SEND THREE ON A DELIVERY AND ONLY TWO WHEN I WAS ONE IT WAS JILL'S CHOICE TO NOT SEND THE THIRD BECAUSE THEY DO EACH OTHERS HAIR AMD MAKEUP..IM HURT AND THE DOCTOR SAYS THERES REALLY NOTHING MORE HE CAN DO..IM LOST DEPRESSION HAS SERIOUSLY KICKED IN ALL BECAUSE OF A BAD CHOICE MADE BY A NEW BOSS...I WANT MY LIFE BACK...I CANT RIDE THE HARLEY CANT BARELY GET ON LIL LONE RIDE IT..CANT CHASE MY CHILDREN WITH THE WATER HOSE,CAN BARELY GET TO THE RESTROOM UPSTAIRS...SO PLEASE,PLEASE,BE CAREFUL WHEN MAKING CHOICES THAT CAM EFFECT ANOTHER LIKE THIS CHOICE EFFECTED ME AND MY ENTIRE LIFE

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