So couple weeks ago I arrived at my home location because I forgot my paperwork for cashier class that was taking place at another store. So I get there at like 7am I have my uniform on but not on the clock, I go upstairs and get my paperwork and come back down stairs and the security guard is by my car and he says to me "you're lucky I didn't steal your car" I was like whatever no im not , I then ask him a question about a incident that happened the previous week, he then gets all mad and starts cussing. I then said I'm not dealing with this **** so I got in my vehicle and he stands next to my car door and my car so I cant close the door. I ask him to move and he says no, I then ask him again and he says you're not on the clock I can hit you right now. I, not wanting anything to happened and at this point he has a advantage point because I'm sitting in my car and I feel threatened i put the car in drive and he slammed the door and I drove off.. I get to the cashier training location and immediately wrote a statement to my store director and to the security guards supervisor,, my co worker was with me In the car so she also wrote a statement to the security guards supervisor ... After the 8 hour class was over I get a phome call from the co manager saying I'm suspended 3 days pending investigation, so I contact union and everything and the 3 days come around and I call and still no work, so then 6 days come around and I get a call from customer first manager saying I'm fired and to come In the next day to pick up my check.. I arrive and the store manager tells me oh you're not fired blah blah. I don't know why he called you and told you that.. I go home 2 hours later store director calls me and tells me to come in .. I arrive and she tells me I'm fired because i violated company policy, she then said I was outside of company policy, I said how.. She said because the secuirty cameras show you speeding out the parking lot. I then said yes because I felt threatened he is a bigger guy then me and he has a permit to carry a firearms, I don't know he didn't have a firearm.. she says that . The area were the incident accrued was a blind spot for the cameras and all it caught was me driving off fast. I said okay so I just got threatened so I'm suppose to drive off slowly?? She then said it was outside of company policy... So I got my union and a couple lawyers and I'm going to try to fight it.. In arbitration if I don't get what I want... I'll take it to court... What do you guys think I should do?? Was it justified being fired? Or should I fight it?? ... Im 17 was working 40-48 hours a week, came in every time they called me worked 6 days every week, never showed up late. Never called In. Etc. . Ps.. They never asked for there uniforms back ,,, should I keep them or throw them away?? In California btw.
So couple weeks ago I arrived at my home location because I forgot my paperwork for cashier class that was taking place at another store. So I get there at like 7am I have my uniform on but not on the clock, I go upstairs and get my paperwork and come back down stairs and the security guard is by my car and he says to me "you're lucky I didn't steal your car" I was like whatever no im not , I then ask him a question about a incident that happened the previous week, he then gets all mad and starts cussing.
I then said I'm not dealing with this **** so I got in my vehicle and he stands next to my car door and my car so I cant close the door. I ask him to move and he says no, I then ask him again and he says you're not on the clock I can hit you right now. Not wanting anything to happened and at this point he has a advantage point because I'm sitting in my car and I feel threatened i put the car in drive and he slammed the door and I drove off.
I get to the cashier training location and immediately wrote a statement to my store director and to the security guards supervisor, my co worker was with me In the car so she also wrote a statement to the security guards supervisor ... After the 8 hour class was over I get a phome call from the co manager saying I'm suspended 3 days pending investigation, so I contact union and everything and the 3 days come around and I call and still no work.
So then 6 days come around and I get a call from customer first manager saying I'm fired and to come In the next day to pick up my check.. I arrive and the store manager tells me oh you're not fired blah blah. I don't know why he called you and told you that.. I go home 2 hours later store director calls me and tells me to come in.
I arrive and she tells me I'm fired because i violated company policy, she then said I was outside of company policy, I said how.. She said because the secuirty cameras show you speeding out the parking lot. I then said yes because I felt threatened he is a bigger guy then me and he has a permit to carry a firearms, I don't know he didn't have a firearm.. she says.
The area were the incident accrued was a blind spot for the cameras and all it caught was me driving off fast. I said okay so I just got threatened so I'm suppose to drive off slowly?? She then said it was outside of company policy... So I got my union and a couple lawyers and I'm going to try to fight it.
In arbitration if I don't get what I want... I'll take it to court... What do you guys think I should do??
Was it justified being fired? Or should I fight it?? ... Im 17 was working 40-48 hours a week, came in every time they called me worked 6 days every week, never showed up late. Never called In. Etc. . Ps.. They never asked for there uniforms back ,,, should I keep them or throw them away?? In California btw.
Edited for paragraph possibilities.
And I honestly have to agree with another poster. Try to find another job for now. Kroger is all about taking the most amount of work, using the least amount of labor for it, and paying the least amount of wages for said labor. Do you think it's fun to go out in 100 degree temperatures or pouring rain to grab shopping carts while working for Front End? Nope. But minimum wage is there for you to do it. That's Kroger.
Kroger is a type of company that while every once in awhile you may be able to receive a compliment from a co-worker or a manager, you will never be able to have a (full) feeling of job satisfaction or feel as if the big heads up top or even in the middle of the chain appreciate what you do. Let's put it this way: As long as your actions help to give them a paycheck, they appreciate what you do. But step out of line or land in some BS and they don't care how long you have been there or what the circumstances were at the time.
Fighting it? Dude. Honestly. This company is not worth the cost you will pay to a lawyer. No matter where you are at, at 17 you are probably not getting paid enough to help with the legal fees. If anything else, that is why I would say the hell with them and move on. Just be honest about it if asked in job interviews, tell them you felt uncomfortable under the circumstances and that you felt as if management and the union were not properly handling it to provide you respect as an employee and that you felt as if you had to leave them as a result.
Not sure how unemployment works in your state (?) or if at 17 you can even get it. I'm assuming you could. But if Kroger says that they fired you rather than you left on your own free will you could have trouble gathering unemployment.
My advice? Leave them behind. It sucks that you have put such hard work and many hours of your life into their company. But welcome to Kroger. This is a job and a company where they don't care. They want 1 +1 to equal 3 and as long as they say it does, that's how it goes for every department. Kroger is not worth jeopardizing your mental, emotional and definitely not your physical health. On the same plane, it's not worth fighting them over if lawyers are involved. The legal fees will NEVER equal any settlements or paychecks you missed.
Walk away. Find something else. You're young. You can do it. Especially if you have your own personal transportation. That's the main reason I'm still with these idiots. I have a car. Needs repair. But do I make enough to get it repaired? No. Soon as I get a paycheck groceries fall into it. Your paychecks will never be able to help you cover the expenses -- especially when legal is added -- that you will be encountering while you wait for arbitration or lawyers to negotiate.
-- Edited by FrontEndSlave on Monday 1st of September 2014 04:51:48 PM
Agreed with FrontEndSlave. Don't bother with trying to get your job back, but if you or your parents have the resources to make things uncomfortable for the security company or Kroger, go for it.
I'd fight it. But that's just me. I can understand where your coming from though. Sounds like the security I use to have at my store. Except when he threatened to hit me, he didn't expect me to get in his face and say "let's go wiseass, you wanna go at me? I'll lay your ass out!"
And I honestly have to agree with another poster. Try to find another job for now. Kroger is all about taking the most amount of work, using the least amount of labor for it, and paying the least amount of wages for said labor. Do you think it's fun to go out in 100 degree temperatures or pouring rain to grab shopping carts while working for Front End? Nope. But minimum wage is there for you to do it. That's Kroger.
Kroger is a type of company that while every once in awhile you may be able to receive a compliment from a co-worker or a manager, you will never be able to have a (full) feeling of job satisfaction or feel as if the big heads up top or even in the middle of the chain appreciate what you do. Let's put it this way: As long as your actions help to give them a paycheck, they appreciate what you do. But step out of line or land in some BS and they don't care how long you have been there or what the circumstances were at the time.
Fighting it? Dude. Honestly. This company is not worth the cost you will pay to a lawyer. No matter where you are at, at 17 you are probably not getting paid enough to help with the legal fees. If anything else, that is why I would say the hell with them and move on. Just be honest about it if asked in job interviews, tell them you felt uncomfortable under the circumstances and that you felt as if management and the union were not properly handling it to provide you respect as an employee and that you felt as if you had to leave them as a result.
Not sure how unemployment works in your state (?) or if at 17 you can even get it. I'm assuming you could. But if Kroger says that they fired you rather than you left on your own free will you could have trouble gathering unemployment.
My advice? Leave them behind. It sucks that you have put such hard work and many hours of your life into their company. But welcome to Kroger. This is a job and a company where they don't care. They want 1 +1 to equal 3 and as long as they say it does, that's how it goes for every department. Kroger is not worth jeopardizing your mental, emotional and definitely not your physical health. On the same plane, it's not worth fighting them over if lawyers are involved. The legal fees will NEVER equal any settlements or paychecks you missed.
Walk away. Find something else. You're young. You can do it. Especially if you have your own personal transportation. That's the main reason I'm still with these idiots. I have a car. Needs repair. But do I make enough to get it repaired? No. Soon as I get a paycheck groceries fall into it. Your paychecks will never be able to help you cover the expenses -- especially when legal is added -- that you will be encountering while you wait for arbitration or lawyers to negotiate.
-- Edited by FrontEndSlave on Monday 1st of September 2014 04:51:48 PM
I agree with Frontendslave. I have rarely heard anything positive reinforcement from kroger if a worker does something well. If you step out of line, cause some drama then there is a good chance your gone. Recently i had a problem not coming in when my day off the i requested was "approved" but from seeing how this company is i am ready to deal with whatever happens.
