I work at a large grocery store that is employee owned. I started 3 years ago on graveyard freight and worked my way up to daytime meat cutter. Eventually getting a coveted “Management In Training” position. It's a part time job but I still worked 40-50 hours a week, splits, 14 day stretches, anything the company needed of me. I stick to the rules and have a solid reputation with most employees and customers. Once in a while one of us will see a particular cut of meat that they want, and we set it aside on the meat racks for them. We work so much the chance of us getting good cuts are much lower as we put them out during our rush. There is a rule stating that we cannot set stuff aside for purchase, but it is one of those rules everyone bends. Seeing as we make sure it is weighed correctly, and we are not keeping all the choicest cuts, no harm no foul. This has been going on literally for decades.
A couple weeks ago I did just this, I set aside some $14 flat iron steaks. I had never tried them and seeing as I would have been taking over the department in a few months I wanted to for reference. I set them aside and forgot to pick them up that day. I had a split weekend so after 1 day off I returned to find the steaks still sitting there. This was odd, as a rule we put them back into rotation if you forget. We attempt to be fair to customer and this is part of that. So at the end of my shift, I pulled the steaks out and showed them off to 3 long term employees. They complemented them and I tossed them out on the counter on my way out to clock out. Came back and paid for them, I thought that was the end of it.
So, you can imagine my shock when Loss Prevention pulls me into the office to interview me about these steaks when I come back.Normal questions you would suspect like.” did I weigh them myself, am I aware this is against company policy ,etc.”. I admit my mistake and also the fact that it is a frequent practice that I did not think was taken seriously. I mean no one even batted an eyelash when I showed off the steaks to them ON CAMERA I may add, and I mention this. Again, keep in mind I have never even remotely been in trouble. So, they decided to suspend me upon further investigation. This at that time sounded like I was going to get written up but that would be the end of it.
It took them 4 days to finally tell me I was fired. They said they investigated it and found me to be guilty of gross negligence and handed me my paperwork. THIS IS WHEN THE LIGHTBULB went off that had been trying to get my attention the whole time. I was set up, by the employee that thought he had the MIT position, and Loss Prevention. The plot thickens…
When I applied for MIT there was 1 person in my department that thought he had it in the bag. He also happens to be our worst employee. Constantly late, can't make quotas, binge drinker and proud of it, misogynist racist etc. Mid 40's white guy with a beard who is part of The Clampers ( E Clampus Vitus google it). Everyone in the department regularly talks shit about him and most of us threatened to quit had this person became MIT. But he is delusional and proceeded to tell the entire store he had the job. After they publically announced it was me, his attitude became quiet and dark. I think what really sent him over the edge was when the Assistant Manager he has a crush on shook my hand in front of him to congratulate me. There was a moment I remember looking up and seein his face. PO'd for sure.
So since he couldn't get the job the right way, he went to douchebag route. Being in the drinking club he is in, and being a local he has lots of pull, he used this to get me watched. Also, loss prevention and him not only know each other, LP issued this guy's concealed carry permit. After addressing this to other employees I found out he has an established history of using his friends to get people ran out. It would make sense seeing as HR and my GM didn't even blink when I mentioned it. They just handed me paperwork to file a grievance. Which is seen by an internal council of employees LMFAO.
The last employee he did this too was fired for missing our sweep log. The sweep log is a paper we fill every 40 minutes to make sure the floors are free of obstructions. This gets missed all the time, and to this day only 1 person has been fired for it. At that time the salty guy had quit and came back, and did not like his department he was stuck in. So, he had loss prevention watch our new cutter and got him on the sweep log. Sound familiar?
This guy told me to my face he was going to use his pull to flex out the guy who got hired with me, so he didn't have to work nights anymore. It's this admittance that played back in my head the instant they told me I was in trouble for doing something everyone does. And now I am sitting here contemplating if I should seek a lawyer. This place is toxic, I have at least 1 person willing to join me (the last person he did this to), and 1 other I feel would also with no question. At least 3 more I can ask if the first 2 do it, and HR seemed to be happy I was going to be making a paper trail on this. I feel her hands were tied due to Loss Prevention being involved.
We sign the closure paperwork on the house we just bought today. I also deposited my first and last paycheck at a manager. This was to be “it”, the job that finally I can be happy retiring at. I just got the biggest raise of my life, that I worked hard for., THOUGH THE PANDEMIC…. I know suing people is a thing you see on TV, and it doesn't really work that way IRL. TBH I am just venting this as I don't know what to do that is legal ATM. My whole next 10 years was planned. I am a brown guy, not that it matters. But after years and years of salty old dudes doing shit like this to me, it's really hard not to become bitter and angry.
I realize this is Antiwork. But I felt this is exactly where I would find answers. This toxic work culture and utter disregard for people is fucked up.
So should I lawyer up? Should I try to get my job back? Or just move on? PS sorry for my grammar etc. I am very fried ATM. It's been a very long month.