I was working for a certain giant corporation that sells greeting cards and the like. Busting my ass in their warehouse, about to hit the time to be eligible for benefits and soon after, leave training. I got called into the office on my 31st day to be told that I couldn't continue working there because my manager had gotten a “shocking” email from HR, informing him that I had previously worked (a total of 4 days) at the company who cleans their bathrooms, offices and break rooms.
They asked on the application whether I had worked for any of their contractors and if I remember correctly, I said that I did, because why lie? I had no idea that they had some sort of non-compete contract or whatever you would call this. I also, without a doubt, mentioned that fact in my interview and got the job the same day, and mentioned it during the early days of my training. They were “nice” enough to give me the bonus I was promised if I reached the 31 days on my final paycheck. My manager, from what I can tell, is a pretty decent guy and I don't blame him at all. I spoke with HR a couple of days ago regarding how much time has to pass before I can reapply, as I'm eligible for rehire once their agreed upon time period has ended. She told me to call back in 3 months and ask again, as they're currently in talks to renegotiate their contract.
My question is, do I have any recourse? And would something like this make me eligible for unemployment benefits? Just wondering if anyone has any tips or any info about what I might be able to do in a situation like this. I'm absolutely gutted because I finally got a non-retail job and I genuinely felt like I could see myself being there for a while. And then this happened and I feel like I'm back to square one and the prospects in my area and my situation (no car of my own) are bleak as hell. Thanks ahead of time.