That job scene is horrendous at city stores now. It's all people eho need the job to literally live and not students and bumny post students like me. By the end of my tenure at the produce warehouse tactics were used against me that were more like street tactics and strikebreaker tactics were used against me.
I was the last guy hired by the old boss. I was wellspoken with a good resumé that seemed strong. Hired on the spot. However I'd ended up with more responsibilities than I'd signed up for with my no trsining, being scheduled 7 days in a row. The new guy who took on the top role was a Haitian who looked after thr Haitians and was a direct supervisor to low functioning autistic white people. His direct subordinates was cool black dude who was a top ally, but mainly was to direct the regular black folks. Then there was a white guy who was meant to handle the whites. By late 2021 it was getting similar to prison labor It would only get worse.
The white people in my dept assigned to the day shift were hard asses and all made more than me due to seniority. I was also hated by day shift despite their easier jobs and teamwork. There was mutual disdain but I put up with their pranks and intentionally leaving messes with good humor. They had 48hr weeks and I had 20-30hrs. So I'd understand some ill will. I was mever trained without also being demeaned and I'd flip out too. I only reported to the top guy and let him know I knew about seniority and my job being uniquely isolating, and I got bonuses just to do my job and shut up. I was advocating for better standards for everyone. Especially the obviously disabled janitors, attendents overworked and bullied to meltdown status. After the bonuses, I was chastised for telling these poor folks to walkoff the job if they were going nuts from bullying or 10hr shifts. When in a heated discussion I told the top guy they were just running the clock, fried and unable to work. I was given some cred for this but I still told my coworkers about my bonuses. Apparently I wasn't playing ball with being bought off. Id picked up as much as I could handle around 30hrs, they dangled mgmt and raises at me if I promised to take full time, get properly trained and stop looking for better jobs. After that things got bad.
Blog posts became known. My books were bought for gossip reasons. It became a topic that I was intelligent and bipolar. My lack of an online presence became fodder for a theory I'd done hard time or else I woulda been online and couldn't have written a book. I was the only SWM on my shift and was, my journalism work, assembled public blogs about the war I was attempting ton shop around. Ideas started floating about what kinda serious criminal I was.
With people with families leaving in droves, new warehouse it was all gangmembers with face tats and newer white and Asian hires jumped ship. New hires were seeing if I'd shake up with them when i met em and one of our service elevated was riddled with gang graffiti. It didn't help I'd put my tags up and memorialized my dead friend so it was assumed I was affiliated and/or did hard time. Despite those tags going up right ehen I started. The neighborhood I live in now was assumed to be my “hood” as the people I knew who knew I'd moved a bunch and had a BA were gone. If I mentioned my degree or other work to these new hires I'd get demeaned as a College Boy. Other workers had quit but I stuck it out with the few people I'd known still working. All had managerial positions. I was in a dept of one with night management responsibilities but not pay to match except for the bonuses. People looked into my indeed resume, called my contacts in non-profits, even listened to my old comedy podcast appearances realizing they'd jumped to conclusions and I didn't fabricate anything. They thought I did because I would tell stories from living in a grouphome when flirting with the female CSRs. I kept a particular girls suicide attempts and BPD secret and we were always together til she wuit unexpectedly before I got aggro about the wage issues. She was also a headcase that could pass as sane because she eas a smart college student but quit as CSR due to workplace harassment. At times I think others were thinking I was running BS game on her and was abusive. Someone talked to her and then my motivations became clearer. Top manager didn't know quite how to handle that issue in an apologetic way still trying to get me full time with an attractive raise and mgmt potential. I told him I'd think on it and stalled while also badmouthing the place to places I'd go on break. That got back to him as well as ny inquiry into some brown from a dealer who apparently told a dope using coworker of mine. A crossover worker between shifts I'd given Kratom to. I was really into kratom and gave it to panhandlers and anyone who seemed to need it. Like my obviously dope sick coworker whom I never said was slacking cuz he was a 48hr worker. Not all together upstairs either but I never liked to point it out. Except the top boss who kinda knew and was giving me credit til that dealer inadvertently snitched on me.
In retribution I had a gigantic but intellectually challenged new guy to train, but who was also an overt violent gang member with a white nationalist gang tattoo. He was continuously checking to make sure I wasn't a manager and mimicking my bad behavior back to me. Also a random new unit of street people showed up. Girl openly propositioned me during a mid shift smoke. The new street people were more openly hostile do I gave them smokes and told em my boss was great at giving directions. He needed my 24-30hr shift cleared for full-time worker and was getting back at me by instructions to new street people. One pretending to be drunk only to switch to aggressive behavior. Union wouldn't have my back. Workers do what they're told. Before that guy was hired I'd stepped my gane up a different CSR girl was into me and we'd share the elevator with me. Though she bugged me by tagging gang signs and goofy alterations to rival gangs meaning they still had some BS in their heads about my neighborhood. I crossed all her shit out and typing it–seems so petty and juvenile. The gangmembers ober 30 weren't people I'd ever talk to outside the store so this flirtation was misguided. I wasn't blameless in all this but I'd nsintained the same truths throughout my employment