I'm in a pretty crappy situation here, and I'm in no position to quit due to debt and low income, not to mention the job market in my area is dead right now (though I keep sending out applications hoping for a call.)
I am a “senior associate” at my current company. A fake position that is in between being a Team Leader and regular staff, which is responsible for “being a good role-model and keeping other staff up to speed with store deals or new company goals” but you don't get any more pay than a regular employee. I was wondering why they invented this fake position they gave a couple of us a few months ago, but I think I just found out yesterday.
One of the workers had incidentally drove our floor washer (you ride in it) too close to a display stand knocking over some wine bottles which also soaked up some baked goods and tissue paper product that also fell over on the same shelf. This would just be the uncommon work place accident at most businesses.
Once this was investigated, the cameras were looked at, and the boss called the person who did it to their office, then I was called in. My boss told me that because of my position it's my fault(???) the accident happened by not being a good role-model and supervisor (which isn't supposed to be my job nr did they tell me it was), that I am responsible for the damage, and I had until Tuesday to pay $80 for the damages(???) or they would have to let me go. This is over damage not caused by me but by a DIFFERENT employee who btw, I have seen no evidence of being reprimanded, just me. All over one accident.
Now before people talk about contacting HR and such I did, and HR and my district manager both said that the people in charge of the store can run the store how they like as long as it follows and does not violate the companies core policies. Because of this, they agree I had a certain “position” even if it's fabricated, and that under my title I had certain responsibilities, and when they had called my store leadership on this “Senior Associate” title and heard their made-up on the spot responsibilities they didn't tell me before, HR agreed and said I need to pay or find another job, which I can't afford to do either.
I've not made any other moves since because I can't afford to lose this job, and if I try to file a complaint with a labor organization or etc, that would give them a reason to remove me and in my state, they don't give you unemployment if you are involuntarily fired, so I would be in a very bad situation.
Instead, my immediate concern is keeping this job which I unfortunately have to keep working at until something better comes along, but $80 is a lot of money that I should not be paying for someone else's mistake, and they won't just cut it out of my hourly so I'm at a loss. I can't approve for credit or loans right now, still paying my student loans too and just came back from being behind, I tried looking at those Payday apps too like Albert and Earnin, but my bank is not compatible, nor is my phone number accepted because it's VOIP (free).
I'm out of ideas, and if I could I'd quit but I can't. Employers know you have to work to survive and are screwing their employees left and right knowing that there is little that can be done about it because of our financial desperation. I mean why else would I be punished for someone else's mistake? I'm still just a regular employee in all but name, no pay raise, nothing.