So I just got fired.

[Gizmo]

*hugs*. I hope you sort something else soon. (and I hope they are good unlike the last couple...)

[Null Requiem]

I wish I could start a class action law suit against all these abusive employers. Or find a way to get more protection from federal law for the workers. But I'm willing to bet that would go nowhere fast so its pointless.

Its strange. I can handle abusive customers so long as they don't get physical. Customers will always be abusive, and the general population seems to be mentally slow. But abusive employers... that's something else altogether.

I guess part of the thing is that these abusive employers are likely the abusive customers somewhere else. They don't see their own employees as people, so why would they see other employees elsewhere as people either.

Dehumanizing others is the only way some people get by. Its sad, and horrible and we've been doing it as a species forever.

[Moirae]

I guess part of the thing is that these abusive employers are likely the abusive customers somewhere else. They don't see their own employees as people, so why would they see other employees elsewhere as people either.

Dehumanizing others is the only way some people get by. Its sad, and horrible and we've been doing it as a species forever.

True, but there's no reason why there can't be laws protecting the employee instead of the employer.

It really bothers me that they are allowed to get away with this kind of behavior.

[Sapphire Silk]

Not according to the net. Seems that, if it isn't against the constitution in some way (prejudice due to race, color, pregnancy, etc), there is no way I can level a hostile work environment claim against them.

It's a civil matter, not a matter for the labor board. You would have to sue. To sue, you need to make a convincing case to the lawyer, who can then investigate records to try and prove it. But you have to be able to do a good sell, and having some evidence in hand (like the emails) is usually necessary to get a lawyer's interest. He said she said won't cut it.

meaning... they can illegally alter time cards?

i mean financial document or not, it is something that could get them in trouble, as i've seen it happen to others here who've actually gotten back pay owed for such. not to mention the laws against slavery etc.

It usually takes a lawsuit to get anything done. My first hospital employer did this to me (and everyone else). Four years later, I got a surprise check in the mail. After I left the employees got fed up and sued. The check was my back pay. It was only about four hundred bucks, but in 1989 that was a nice chunk of change.

In my opinion, this should probably be your course of action:

1. Immediately file for unemployment.

2. Immediately get your resume and those letters of recommendation together, and find another (hopefully better) job.

3. Once you have secured the job and/or the unemployment for the time you are out of work, then you can look into seeing if you have a case against these people.

Quoted for Truth. Jester is on the money. File for unemployment, get the resume together, and hit the streets. Sue later.

While they can fire you for almost any reason, illegal business practices are still illegal business practices. It's unlikely any action by you in conjunction with the labor board would get your job back (and honestly, once you get a new one, why WOULD you want to work for these douchebags?), but you may be entitled to damages, as may other employees and former employees.

Again, QFT. I've been in similar situations; probably most of us have at one point or another. It happens. I've never wanted the job back, but I've been able to negotiate a good recommendation and "eligible for rehire" on the background check, which helps when you're looking for a job.

And starting an action may get the employer to clean up their act.

They have totally and utterly screwed us horribly bad. And I'm willing to bet I'll get $80, maybe $100 a week from unemployment.

I know I shouldn't be embarrassed. <snip> But I need to pay my bills somehow, even if this state gives you a tiny pittance to live on for unemployment.

I wonder if I can make any money working on things from places like Elance and Odesk. Just something that will be more than what unemployment will give me.

You're right. You shouldn't be embarrassed. Because you do need to pay your bills. $80-$100 may not be much but at least it is something. You are not like those people who come off unemployment, get a job, find a reason to lose the job and collect unemployment again (my cousin does this all the while complaining about how government is too big and she does not see the hypocrisy in doing so).

Just be careful about free lancing while on unemployment. You have to show that you are looking for a job, and if you free lance they may say you are no longer eligible. I'm not saying don't free lance, I'm saying that the priority should be finding another job if that's what you want to do.

Free lancing is very hard and time consuming, and it doesn't always pay. The income is not guaranteed. It's not a bad way to make a living if you throw yourself into it and make a solid plan for how to earn enough to pay the bills, and have a cushion for when work is short. I encourage you to do it if you have something you can sell, and are willing to do the work to sell yourself. It would make you independent and your own boss, and some people (like spark or Seraph) are really good at is and able to make a living at it.

But you gotta have a plan.

True, but there's no reason why there can't be laws protecting the employee instead of the employer.

It really bothers me that they are allowed to get away with this kind of behavior.

There are some laws, but they require evidence that can be hard to get. That's why we have labor unions (and that's all I'll say on that lest we get into Fratching).

[rose_metal_nz]

*hugs* Moirae
I'm glad you're out of there. All the best.

[Moirae]

Honestly, it really depends what jobs you take whether they last or not. I have a bid in right now for $50 a week for a 15-30 minute transcription once a week. That's half of what I'd make on unemployment. If I can just get one more, that would be the same price as what I'm making on unemployment.

I'd rather work for my money than not. It's just that even the idea of going to work in an office every day is leaving me feeling disgusted.

Honestly, I can't keep living like this. My last two jobs I've been treated like complete dirt. I'm sick of it. There has got to be more to life than this. I'm 36 years old. I don't like how I'm feeling right now.

I have had two very bad depressive episodes in my life, and I don't want this one to become another one. I don't want to go in to another job only to be treated like dirt there too. I'd probably end up medicated, and I don't want to be that way.

Maybe my problem is that I KNOW I'm better than this. I know more than most of the people I've worked with in the last four years, yet they get their butts kissed while I'm treated like dirt. I'm sick to death of it.

So my husband and I opened our own business back in March. We don't have a client yet, but we do have another Chamber of Commerce Meeting tomorrow night. We have a possibility of working with a company that can make us ALOT of money. We would be an outsourcing company for them. Meaning, we would be doing some work for them but under their brand. My husband is the Revenue Manager. This lady currently has over 1100 hotels under her hotel computer system. She wants to offer Revenue Management and seems very interested in hiring us to do this for her. She asked what our rate would be (charged to her, not the hotel) and will increase the price on her end to cover her costs.

What does this mean? It means that for each hotel that our company does Revenue Management for, we'd make between $600 and $1000 a month. If even only ten hotels shows interest in this offer, that means we would make $10,000 a month which places us right smack in the middle of the middle class.

The problem? She hasn't signed the contract yet, but wants to talk next week about details.

Let me tell you, I would be so happy to do this. My husband can do the analysis and rate calls while I do the data entry. It would be ideal. But I've been burned so bad recently that I'm scared to even remotely hope that this will actually happen.

What I want to do most of the time is crawl in to bed and do nothing but cry and sleep, but I'm trying not to fall in to that. The moment I actually start doing that is the moment I fall back into depression and I badly don't want that to happen again.

My husband says I need to take a break and that he understands. He's even looking for full time work (even if it isn't in our industry) so that I can take some time to recover from the last few years. But I feel so guilty just sitting here and not working. I don't know how stay at home wives/mothers do this. I know I need to take time to let myself get over this, and I'll tell you now that one or two weeks isn't going to cut it. But in the meantime, I'm watching our savings get cut in to.

I HATE feeling helpless. And rational or not, that's how I feel right now. Like losing my job was a betrayal to my husband and I (so glad we don't have kids). Like I had to have done something to cause this even though rationally I know the owners of the company were (and are) batshit crazy. Just the thought of having to go back to work right now makes me almost sick to my stomach every time it occurs to me, yet not going back to work asap hurts us badly.

All those years, all the experience, it's all counted for absolutely nothing. Even my college education, I used it in my industry, and now I feel like I wasted all of that time and effort.

I feel like screaming. I feel like punching that bitch in the face that did this to us.

And now my husband is being forced to go for interviews to work night audit (11pm-7am shift). After 17 years in his industry. All because that bitch fired me. When I was working, we were making it. Barely, but we were surviving. And now... now I don't know. We've been set back ten years.

And I am at a loss.

[Pixilated]

I wish I could start a class action law suit against all these abusive employers. Or find a way to get more protection from federal law for the workers. But I'm willing to bet that would go nowhere fast so its pointless.

Its strange. I can handle abusive customers so long as they don't get physical. Customers will always be abusive, and the general population seems to be mentally slow. But abusive employers... that's something else altogether.

It may be because the customers come and go. You have to listen to them rant but eventually they walk out through the door. Abusive employers, on the other hand, are always there, even when they're physically not there, because you know they've also got their bootlickers in place.

Kudos on wanting to work for your money -- there is nothing wrong with that! But if things seem to be sliding south for a short while, keep in mind that the temporary help is always there, and you deserve it until things get better for you both.

Meanwhile, your hubby may have a point ... take a bit of time out for yourself. You would offer him the same thing if the situation was reversed, right? Take some time to de-stress and get your balance back.

I'm crossing my fingers that your business gets on its feet soon.