On June 24th, it will be the 1-year anniversary of me being fired from a job. I hope my story can give you hope that there is a way to rise above a bad employer, even when wrongfully fired.
I was hired by this employer/owner to do various installations. The main installation that was his bread-and-butter was to mount a TV against a wall for a customer in their home. However, most people don’t like the power cord of the tv to hang and have to stretch to the bottom of the wall. It doesn’t look good with the cord hanging out. Part of our services was to install an electrical outlet behind the tv so the cord would be hidden.
When I first started, my employer reassured me that it was okay to install an outlet because it was so simple of a job. I figured that if he was doing it, then it was okay to do it for him. After a couple of months installing outlets, I thought maybe a career as an electrician would be interesting for me. I started researching. Lo, and behold, I found out that I was not permitted to be installing anything electrical unless I had the required permit or was doing it underneath the supervision of a master electrician.
I certainly didn’t have a license, my co-worker didn’t, and my boss didn’t either. The fine in my state ranges from $2,000 – $5,000 per outlet installed. I knew this wasn’t going to end pretty and I definitely needed the money because my wife was pregnant at the time. However, I decided (after consulting my wife) that the best way to move forward was to be honest and set that boundary with my boss.
I texted him about the problem and he responded, “There’s nothing we can do about it” and practically dismissed my concern. Finally, I told him I would no longer be installing outlets for him starting the next day. At the end of my day, he fired me via email stating it was because I “disagreed and refused to work.”
Long story short (and if you want the fine details, let me know). The following happened:
1. He realized he messed up after I sent a scathing email back to him telling him it was a wrongful termination. He hadn’t been paying unemployment insurance and admitted it.
2. He asked to meet with me to find a solution. I decided to act in good faith and show up for the meeting. It was just him and his sister threatening me, trying to twist my arm to not apply for unemployment, and there were some heinous things said in that meeting to me.
3. I did file for unemployment and was denied because my boss lied to the unemployment commission that I was fired for misconduct. I’m in at-will state, but there are clear laws to protect you in the event of refusing to do something illegal.
4. I contacted the regulation board that oversees electricians. They were appalled and immediately conducted an investigation into my former employer. Their findings were that yes—he was engaging in acts that were illegal and was told to stop or there would be further punishment.
- I had to wait 2 months later for a hearing with a hearing officer over my unemployment appeal. In that appeal, the hearing officer interrogated my former boss and amazingly, my boss admitted that he was doing something illegal and fired me because I refused to do that specific illegal act. That enabled me to have unemployment for the past two months of waiting.
I fought through depression and the birth of my child with no money in the bank account. I am still hurting from doing the right thing. In my gut I knew it was the right thing to do but I wasn’t ready for the distrust I had towards any employer in the future. But I hope my story helps you to know that there is hope. You can win. And you can hold the boundary with your boss. It may take time for justice to wield its hammer, but it will happen.
Thanks for reading! Have a great day!
TLDR: I was fired because I refused to do an illegal act for my boss. It took a few months to win unemployment, but I finally did with my boss admitting to firing me wrongfully.