Hi! The title is pretty self explanatory but I need advice. (I have chronic brain fog sorry if I worded this weird.) Such a tricky situation.
So a few days ago (Thursday) I was discussing my rights in the workplace as me and all of my coworkers agree that the work we do doesn’t add up to the pay, plus a dozen other violations of concern. While trying to bring up our concerns in the monthly meeting, I was called into the office and written up for unprofessionalism for simply discussing my rights in the workplace. The company I worked for had an open door policy as well as dozens of other contracts to protect themselves. However they were violating labor laws.
These were including but not limited to: OSHA safety violations, Violation of Employee rights in the workplace, Minimum Wage Law, and violation of employee and client privacy, plus harassment and employer wrongful retaliation in the workplace.
During the last few weeks leading up to this incident, I gathered as much evidence as I could, looked into my rights, employee handbook and any contracts I had to sign when starting this position. It was during this process that my employer and managers started to single me out and treat me differently. Calling me off all the time last minute, cutting my hours for the upcoming week, accusing me of things I didn’t do and they have 0 proof of, and writing up all fellow employees who defended me upon witnessing their treatment of me.
Hence why I tried to bring up my concerns and those of my fellow employees in a group setting where we were told we could bring up our concerns. In this individual meeting where they questioned my professionalism, they dismissed all my concerns, and couldn’t properly articulate the concerns they had about me even when I asked for clarification. During this meeting they said “we can’t pay you more money than you’re worth” and continued to degrade me and my fellow employees.
The biggest concern for me is the fact that they wouldn’t only know this if they were listening through cameras and recording devices which in my line of work is illegal. We often have clients who discuss private matters with us in a deeply private setting. (i work with doing fully body waxing and Brazilians so obviously we see more intimate areas of our clientele). As I was discussing my rights in the workplace in my personal room with my coworkers where there is supposedly no cameras in it, then what else has been exposed.? I should also mention that the things they’re accusing me of (including making copies ) and other things they brought up they wouldn’t have known aimless they were in the salon at the time these things were being discussed.
The next day (after they asked me to come in early) they fire me over text. These employers some how managed to write everyone up and fired me for being asked to be treated fairly. My now former fellow employees and I are considering suing them for violating workplace rights, cutting hours and having us make less than minimum wage, retailing and creating a hostile work environment, as well as wrongful termination and violation of contracts that all of us are bound to. Some of these contracts involved clauses that prevents us from speaking about workplace conditions or the ways they treat us on the job. (which violates our rights right away)
Has anyone else ever been wrongfully terminated from a shady employer? If so how did you handle it?
Note: They are charging me a $500 training fee.