So I just got of work after talking to the coworker in question and I'm still pissed off, but I'll try and keep this as coherent as possible.
Quick details: none of the names used are the real names for the sake of my privacy and theirs, this took place at a major fast food chain, this is happening in California (I did my research and know this is illegal) and this is an ongoing situation where I will try to give updates as it goes.
Recently, my manager Sal vented to me that my coworker, Carter, gave him almost no notice with no reason that he needed Saturday and Sunday (which was November 25th and 26th) off, I don't remember the day he told me but it was between the 23rd-25th. He said that he was going to write him up or something like that, and this is where I definitely feel like I should have stepped up and said something to Sal. He said to my face, word for word, “I don't care if his mom died, your job comes first.”. For reference, I had at least a friendly relationship with Sal, and I had told him in good faith that my mom had died before I started working there. I had welled up with tears and even cried in front of this man about my mom dying, and I don't know if he just forgot or spaced on it but he then said “Not to be grim or anything.”.
The next week I texted my manager for the schedule, and he usually sends me a digital cropped version when my name is best in focus, so I didn't see the hours that Carter had. I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this week, and Carter came in yesterday and today. We were both wrapping up our shifts, and suddenly he clocks out despite our shift manager wanting him to stay. Carter said that since Sal screwed over his schedule and only had him in on Saturday and Sunday, both days for 3 hours, that he was only going to work those hours. This is when we started talking about it, and I told him what Sal told me: that he put in no notice for Saturday and Sunday off, that Sal said he was going to write him up, and that he was given no reason as to why he needed the time off.
Carter put it all into perspective, and this manager has a way with lying and talking shit behind people's backs. Carter told me that he requested to use his sick time on Saturday and Sunday off for a family emergency, that he told Sal all this, and that Sal slashed his hours, giving him no days during the week and then scheduling him for Saturday and a 3 hour shift today on Sunday (December 2nd and 3rd). I then told him the key line above where Sal said “I don't care if his mom died” (as far as I know, she didn't, but all the same it was an emergency regarding a family member that he didn't say anything more about to me at least).
Carter is, obviously, extremely pissed off at this, and said that he was going to talk to Sal about this on Monday, and I don't blame him. I put in my notice a good bit ago in order to leave this place on good terms in case if I ever need a job, my last day is scheduled for next Saturday (December 9th), but we'll see if Sal is going to make it too much of a pain and if I need to go ahead and leave before the end of my notice period. I do feel bad for not pulling Carter aside earlier, or not saying something to Sal at the time, but I know that if Sal brings this all to me that I'm going to tell him: he spoke behind Carter's back, he said something that's deeply personal to everyone and especially to me, that he shouldn't have said it and that I owe it to Carter as a friend, coworker, and generally a human what he said after I learned the details, and that while he may put work above family, he can't hold everyone to that standard because to most people with close family it will always come first, and to imagine saying that to his face because those are genuinely fighting words, then to see if he thinks he's right.
It's just a screwed up situation, I need to go to bed soon but I'll try to keep updates on this and try to answer any questions anyone has on this.