I work in a restaurant, and I sustained a mild injury to my shoulder due to my coworkers deciding not to do one thing and leaving me to literally be the only one to do it. It's a prep item that requires a good bit of strength and force to be able to do all day, and surprise surprise, I got hurt because I was the only one doing it since nobody else would.
I told my managers, who basically sat around and did nothing for a couple of months, until a new shift lead was hired and she brought the issue up to our DM, who got me start on a worker's comp claim. I saw a doctor and just finished my first of 3-4 weeks of physical therapy, with some limitations to bring back for my job.
They're… pretty extreme. I can't lift/push/pull more than 5 lbs and am not supposed to reach above my head to grab something up high with the affected arm. But these restrictions are supposed to be temporary and gradually improve.
I got pulled aside yesterday without any warning by the DM and was basically told that if they don't lift my restrictions when I go back (in just 2 days!), that they're going to have to let me go, and I highly doubt they're going to just remove my limitations after such a short amount of time.
Not to mention this is all right before rent is due, and I absolutely need that last week for rent and groceries. Not cool. If it wasn't for the timing of this, I'd probably have an easier time landing on my feet, but this is seriously awful timing.
Do I have any recourse at all here? I'm in California, if that helps.
I tried getting online work for the last few months and haven't been able to get anything; in large part because a bunch of companies are still rejecting Californians over AB5. Otherwise, businesses just aren't responding to me at all. I may as well be working a full-time job applying for new jobs, and I've got nothing to show for it.
I hate the double standards here; I'm expected to give 2 weeks notice when I want to leave a job, but my bosses can yank the rug out from under me and condemn me to living on the streets with little to no warning… and all because of something they caused!