Tuckerfan,
Glad to hear you’ve already blown the whistle on the pondscum. But Sublight is correct. Federal investigations can be e-x-t-r-e-m-e-l-y slow, while corporate ones tend to move much more rapidly. Granted, the Federales will do more damage, but Honda will get the first licks in. Sort of like a hurricane versus a tornado.
It looks like you may suspect that your tipoff to the Feds is the proximate cause of your termination. I was leaning more in the direction of Braaaaad finding your posts here, but the other seems just as likely. I’ve no idea how they might have found out you reported them, but you know the old saying, “Three can keep a secret only if two of them are dead. - Ben Franklin”.
Meanwhile, I notice your involuntary emancipation has resulted in more postings on the SDMB, so I guess it’s not all bad.
Keep us informed on the job search and all. We’re all pulling for you.
Not really. IANAL and all that, but Texas is a right-to-work state as well. From what Tuckerfan has posted, I think he’s got a good case against his former employer in more ways than one.
Tuck , if I were you, I would get in contact with a lawyer that does employer-employee stuff. Go through your local legal aid society if you need to, but find one that will take your case on contingency and have them look at it from both the whistleblower and unjustified termination aspects. If you were fired for performance issues, the company damn well better be able to prove that your work was below par, which means there should be records of counseling and review with your signature on them. From what I gather, there aren’t.
Clothahump, there’s one small problem with your suggestion. IIRC, the laws worded such that if I accept unemployment, then I can’t sue. Given my nearly non-existant finances, if I’m offered unemployment, I’ve got to take it.
Well, to add to all the advice, it’s your state’s employment department that will know the rules. Please go down and do the paperwork and ask them questions asap (tomorrow).
One question for you: did Mullet Man give you actual paperwork terminating you? with a signature?
I heard about one guy that was told verbally he was fired, and then the office waited till he had been gone (3 days I think) and fired him for unexcused absence, 3 days, no call-in. Which last was written down in the Rules.
It saved them doing all the tiresome documentation that was legally required, and as a “justified termination”, would have caused the unemployment checks to not happen.
Slow down there, Tuckerfan. Don’t give up so easy, unless you’re starving in a cold dark trailer and need the money.
Check with any University in Nashville that has a law school for a legal aid society department. You won’t get the top lawyer in the state, but they’ll be the best at figuring out what options you have for little to no cost. Best of luck to you.
Aw, man, that bites. I would still get after them from the whistleblower aspect. I think that’s on a Federal level and would trump state law. See a lawyer anyone.
Well, they’re scheduled to pull my net access on Monday of next week, I can pay the mortgage note for April on this place, but not the rent or electric, so. . . .
Well, I had my exit interview today, and they hinted that they might consider giving me my job back. I told them that if I was going to work for them again they’d have to pay me a lot more money than what they were paying me now. They didn’t give me any paperwork to file with the unemployment office, but I went ahead and filed anyway (you have to do it online now). It’ll be at least a week before I know if I’m going to get my benefits or not.
Darnit! Kicks rock and scuffs up dust.