This past Tuesday I started my 9th day of work at a company producing small plastic automotive parts. Basically my only job was to take finished parts off the line a put them in a box no matter which of the 50 or so lines there were. Boring work, but fairly easy
I was getting along with my coworkers, I felt like I had really started to get a feel for working there. First job I've had in a long time that I didn't completely dread the thought of going into. I felt like It was a job I could do well and be stable in. Then Tuesday came.
It wasn't unusual for machines to be down for hours at a time even after a technician AND a supervisor had been notified because there were simply too many old faulty machines and not enough maintenance people. In the 9 days I worked there my machine was down for over an hour about half of them.
This particular day my machine wasn't running when I started my shift, so I called for a tech. 30 minutes went by and one came by, shined a flashlight on my machine in a couple spots, and walked away.
He didn't ever come back, so I notified a supervisor. They told me to stay where I'm at and clean my line and a tech will come by soon. They said that they know I'm down and to just be patient, so I went back to my line and waited another hour.
I have ADHD and was bored as fuck so I started using my phone. You're not technically supposed to, but that's how it is anywhere. People do it all the time anyway. I witnessed others do it firsthand at this job just like every other.
Anyway some dickhead motherfucker supervisor who looks like Walt's brother from breaking bad who I've seen 2 out of the 9 days I've been there and has already kind of made me a target at this point walks by and sees me on my phone. I explain that I'm just on it because my line has been down all morning and I already notified another supervisor.
He told me I shouldn't have my phone out on the floor at all, and then immediately asked me if I was a temp or a full employee. Mind you this factory is a union shop so that's not a good thing to hear already. I was stupidly honest and told him I was a temp.
He asked my name, and then told me to take my break early since I'm still down. I went on break like he said and I came back and I was still down. I tried letting someone know again, and again was told to just go clean.
I waited 45 minutes after that and still nothing, so I pulled my phone out not even thinking and at that exact moment dickhead walks by and sees me on my phone.
He gave me the most evil fucking look and gestured for me to come to him. My heart instantly sank, and without a second thought he told me to pack my things and go home.
I tried to say that I just wanted work to do and I was only on my phone because there was nothing left for me to do, but he just wanted me to shut up and leave. At that point I said I was going to hr before I went anywhere.
I grabbed my things and tried to make my way to hr but I didn't know where it was and I was in the middle of having a panic attack so I accidentally ended up at the supervisors office.
I simply asked the man in there for directions and he asked me why I was going to hr. Without thinking, I told him. This other supervisor told me I needed to leave immediately as well. I was being yelled at in front of coworkers and they threatened to call the cops on me if I didn't leave immediately. I was scared and I didn't want things to escalate further so I legit ran away shaking.
Now it's a week from Christmas and I'm fucked because nowhere Is hiring and I can't claim unemployment because I didn't even work there 2 full weeks. I never got to make my case to hr
Im so mad. Besides this one dickbag it was a decent job and now I don't know how I'm going to take care of myself all because I spent 10 fucking minutes on my phone. This is so fucked up and wrong
Is there any way for me to strongarm my way back in making legal bluffs like filing a claim to the DOL or at least get some kind of revenge in a way that won't get me arrested?
TLDR: one dickhead supervisor who looks like Hank from breaking bad saw me on my phone 2 times an hour apart when he knew my machine was down, then proceeded to fire me for it and threatened to call the police when I tried to stick up for myself by trying to get to HR