I Was Unfairly Fired Today
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Okay, this is kind of a long story so if you don't want to hear it, stop reading now.
I was fired from my job today. (Saturday Feb. 7). The job was a car wash. Today is/was payday. I was scheduled to work at 1:30 pm this afternoon. So my plan was to go in early, get my check, go back home, change, eat and go in to work. Well I got there about noon to get my check and one of the managers, Kurt, approached me and told me I had been terminated.
Okay...pause for a second...here is what happened...I am not slanting this at all to make myself look good, this is REALLY what happened:
The night before, (Friday Feb. 6), myself and 3 other employees were closing. Upon closing, I was approached by a fellow employee named Tolik. He is from Ukraine and does not speak English well. He is learning, but still does not know much. He made a motion with his hand that I didn't understand so I asked, "What?" He then said, "where tire shine?" Tire shine is something we do for customers with a coupon for it, it is basically armor-all and we brush their tires with it. Everyday it is outside and every night we bring it inside to close up. So anyway he asked me where it was, (which is weird because it's always in the same place) so I JOKINGLY, and I stress jokingly, replied, "it's up my ass." That's it. That's all that happened. Tolik did not appear angry or offended. He even laughed, as I recall. Everyone proceeded to close up and I went home not knowing or thinking anything was wrong.
So flash back to today, Kurt (one of the managers) told me I was fired and that I needed to turn in my pullover to get my pay, and that I could call Al, the owner, if I wanted, to try and rectify the situation.
So I went home to pick up the pullover. While there, I called Al and admitted what I had said and stated that it was out of line that I should be terminated for such a thing. He proceeded to go absolutely APESHIT and literally started yelling and swearing at me over the phone, "That's MY call to make! Do you understand me?! You don't fucking tell me that!" Etc, etc. So I hung up on him. Then I drove back to the car wash, gave Kurt the pullover and got my pay. And that's pretty much it.
Now, I thought about this long and hard and quite honestly feel that it's complete and utter bullshit. I mean c'mon guys, we're talking about a CAR WASH! A bunch of guys working at a car wash...everyone jokes around and swears, it's totally normal. And yet I was singled out and fired for it. There's no real reason to be fired unless you do something HUGE or steal something. I was a good employee...I worked hard and was never late. It seemed that a lot of people had it out for me since Day 1. I don't know if it was jealousy or what.
Anyways, I'm pretty much over it now but it's the principle of what happened that gets to me. So I will be writing an anonymous letter to the I.R.S. reporting Al because he pays his employees under the table which is illegal. He's illegally avoiding taxes and screwing the government.
I have a good mind to call him up and tell him off but I don't want to stoop to his level. Think writing the I.R.S. will do just fine. Also considering taking this to small claims court...because like I said, it's illegal to pay employees under the table.
I was fired from my job today. (Saturday Feb. 7). The job was a car wash. Today is/was payday. I was scheduled to work at 1:30 pm this afternoon. So my plan was to go in early, get my check, go back home, change, eat and go in to work. Well I got there about noon to get my check and one of the managers, Kurt, approached me and told me I had been terminated.
Okay...pause for a second...here is what happened...I am not slanting this at all to make myself look good, this is REALLY what happened:
The night before, (Friday Feb. 6), myself and 3 other employees were closing. Upon closing, I was approached by a fellow employee named Tolik. He is from Ukraine and does not speak English well. He is learning, but still does not know much. He made a motion with his hand that I didn't understand so I asked, "What?" He then said, "where tire shine?" Tire shine is something we do for customers with a coupon for it, it is basically armor-all and we brush their tires with it. Everyday it is outside and every night we bring it inside to close up. So anyway he asked me where it was, (which is weird because it's always in the same place) so I JOKINGLY, and I stress jokingly, replied, "it's up my ass." That's it. That's all that happened. Tolik did not appear angry or offended. He even laughed, as I recall. Everyone proceeded to close up and I went home not knowing or thinking anything was wrong.
So flash back to today, Kurt (one of the managers) told me I was fired and that I needed to turn in my pullover to get my pay, and that I could call Al, the owner, if I wanted, to try and rectify the situation.
So I went home to pick up the pullover. While there, I called Al and admitted what I had said and stated that it was out of line that I should be terminated for such a thing. He proceeded to go absolutely APESHIT and literally started yelling and swearing at me over the phone, "That's MY call to make! Do you understand me?! You don't fucking tell me that!" Etc, etc. So I hung up on him. Then I drove back to the car wash, gave Kurt the pullover and got my pay. And that's pretty much it.
Now, I thought about this long and hard and quite honestly feel that it's complete and utter bullshit. I mean c'mon guys, we're talking about a CAR WASH! A bunch of guys working at a car wash...everyone jokes around and swears, it's totally normal. And yet I was singled out and fired for it. There's no real reason to be fired unless you do something HUGE or steal something. I was a good employee...I worked hard and was never late. It seemed that a lot of people had it out for me since Day 1. I don't know if it was jealousy or what.
Anyways, I'm pretty much over it now but it's the principle of what happened that gets to me. So I will be writing an anonymous letter to the I.R.S. reporting Al because he pays his employees under the table which is illegal. He's illegally avoiding taxes and screwing the government.
I have a good mind to call him up and tell him off but I don't want to stoop to his level. Think writing the I.R.S. will do just fine. Also considering taking this to small claims court...because like I said, it's illegal to pay employees under the table.
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Comments
You're right.....that was a long story!
Seriously, It's obvious from reading your narrative that you're a sharp kid. You can definitely do better than the carwash. To steal an old cliche.....make lemonade from lemons. Good luck!
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This is why the American economy is in the shitter. Talk about feeling entitled. I also have found in my work experience that people that complain that their coworkers are out to get them are usually slackers.
Also, tip for the future. Never tell your boss that he's out of line, especially when you've been fired. Maybe next time you ought to try apologizing and saying that you're sorry for using inappropriate language. True or not, it's what he wanted to hear. Though nothing in your story indicates that's actually the reason he fired you.
That said, have fun with the IRS. Just make sure they don't come after you if he was paying you under the table too
you got fired from a fucking car wash....
and mr. owner doesnt need to give any reason to anyone for firing you.....fact is he can fire you for whatever the fuck reason he wants to....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
you know what? no, you're wrong. he pays UNDER THE TABLE and that's ILLEGAL. what's not to understand about that?
how can you get a REWARD if it's ANONYMOUS?
First off, don't call me a slacker. You don't know me, you can't make that call. I'm one of the hardest-working people I know.
You're right, that is what he wanted to hear. Thing is, I'm not sorry for it. It's a bunch of guys working at a car wash. Everyone swears and jokes around. EVERYONE. So why was I singled out and fired? If I'm fired for this (which I am) then everyone working there should be fired for the same reason. Al (the owner) is a complete asshole...he acts like he's your friend but doesn't care about anyone or anything but himself and money.
If there's nothing in my story that indicates that's actually the reason he fired me, then why was I fired??
As for the I.R.S., how can they come after me if the letter I write is ANONYMOUS?
If you didn't have a contract, and I think it's safe to say you didn't, then you were an At Will employee. Meaning your employer hired you at will and could terminate you at will. He did not have to give any reasons for letting you go. That's how it is in most states.
His problems with the IRS are a whole different story and don't have anything to do with you unless he was paying you under the table too. If that was the case and you accepted the wages knowing that, you will probably have your own problems with the IRS as has already been said.
Okay, let's try and pay attention here people. I was never arguing the first point. Of course there is no contract. OF COURSE he can fire me at will. I'm just saying, it's a bullshit reason to fire me (the way I got fired). Yes, employers can fire someone at any time for any reason but they usually DON'T unless there is a damn good reason...not someone joking around with a co-worker at the end of the night.
And ONCE AGAIN....HOW can I have problems with the IRS if I contact them ANONYMOUSLY???
ANONYMOUS!!!
How can the IRS prove that he's paying people under the table without checking employee records to see if there is any tax documentation? Were you being paid under the table? I don't know how the investigation would work...but you would probably be guilty of tax evasion too, right?
Not to mention...if you WERE taking money under the table without turning him in, but now that you have a beef with him, you're calling the IRS...then I guess he's an asshole...and you're a rat.
You mentioned small claims court and when another poster told you to forget it, you wondered why. I was trying to respond to that by explaining that if you didn't have a contract, etc., you really don't have any kind of legal standing to go to small claims court, even if your boss fired you for the most unfair reason in the world.
As for how the IRS could catch up with you, that could depend on several things. If you report the business, the IRS will presumably investigate it. They will do everything to find out who he has been employing. What kind of records does the owner have on his employees? Even if he was paying you off the books, does he have information about you? Does he have your name and address? How about your SS#? Depending on the amounts of money involved and the length of time this has been going on, the IRS may be trying to track down a lot of people. Even if he doesn't have information, they may talk to some of the employees to try to find out who used to work there. I'm not saying you shouldn't report it. I would just be prepared to pay some back taxes if you have to.
There are no employee records. There was no job interview, no application, nothing. You just start working. No, I wouldn't be guilty of tax evasion if I report my income for 09 next year at the next tax time.
I wasn't paid with checks. There would not be records of me not paying taxes because I will claim my income for 09 when I do taxes at around this time next year.
The only info he has is my name and cell #. I could change my # easily.
Thanks for your advice, seriously. I didn't mean to come across as argumentative. It's just a little frustrating because it's been a rough day...let's not forget...I got fired!
Then to post it on here and have people jump on me, it's not the nicest thing in the world. Not trying to get sympathy but would expect a least a little from fellow PJ fans...especially since I got fired for an absolute and total bullshit reason.
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I got fired 10 years ago from a legal secretary job when the personal assistant to the fuckhead of a boss looked at my emails and printed what I'd written about the boss to another secretary. I wrote that "none of us would care if he got run over by a bulldozer and all his guts squashed out of his mouth like a squashed toad on the road!"
Oops!
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Businesses can fire you for no reason at all. He didn't even have to tell you why. Heck, he could have fired you just for the sport of it if he wanted to.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
you say that he didnt pay people by check.....that he paid people cash "under the table"
but yout story starts out by saying how you went to work early to pick up your PAYCHECK?????
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
To be honest though... it's a car wash. I'm sure there's other places of equal stature and pay around the neighborhood that will hire you.
I don't know why he fired you. Maybe you should have tried asking before telling him he doesn't know how to run a business and his reasons for firing you (which you never bothered to discover) were wrong.
If it's just a lowly car wash and the owner is such a douchebag, why are you crying in your spilled milk about losing a shit job working for an asshole?
I'm not saying you're a slacker, I'm saying most people I know that whine about how unfairly they're treated at work are not good workers, though they all claim to be the best. They're the ones that refuse to listen to anyone's instructions and will not follow directions or rules because they insist they know better. If that was true, they'd be running their own damn company.
1. You don't know that's why, as you've admitted. You just assumed it and then called to rant at him based on that assumption. If everyone does it, why would you assume that's the reason? Sounds to me like there's something fishy going on here. There's also a difference between swearing on the job like "motherfucker, that hurt!" and between acting like a dick to a coworker. Maybe you were joking, but sometimes it doesn't come off that way. At the end of a long day if I was trying to close up and just asking a quick question for help and someone said that to me, I'd think THEY were the asshole. Which brings me back to the point of advising you to man up and apologize. You'd be amazed how far a little politeness and respect will get you.
2. Think this through man... you put the IRS onto him for paying his employees under the table. You don't think they might, if/when they investigate him, also try to find out WHO worked for him under the table?
alright, i wasn't the only one that caught that.
How 'bout you check with your state's Employment Standards or Labour Relations or whatever they're called? Ask them about what to do if you think you were unfairly fired.
And let's be honest here...nobody claims cash on their income tax. And if you're upset with how the owner did business, then you probably would have quit anyway. Small Claims Court usually involves money owed, so you might not even be able to file a claim...and why be so vindictive anyway? Do you like a lot of attention?
Another thing to remember is that if you said something in jest to a co-worker who was OK with it, another co-worker could overhear, be offended, and report you; not the person you said the joke to. You have to be VERY careful what YOU say around the workplace. It unfortunately doesn't matter if other people can get away with it. You're the one who may or may not have been caught (i.e. everyone speeds, but not everyone gets speeding tickets)....It sucks, but that's life...oh, and life isn't fair. It just isn't.
And you are assuming that your 'innocent' comment was why you were fired...and if you told your boss that he was wrong in anything but a carefully worded calm mannered approach, you would have been fired for insubordination...and if you COULD file in small claims court, you would lose on that point....
You lost a crappy job. Big deal. They guy probably did you a favour. Get over it. Seriously. Go listen to Rearview Mirror or something equally angry....
sit and relax, please.
everyone there calls it a "check." it is in fact cash we are paid with. it's just a habit to call it a check.
should have clarified. no biggie.
that is classic by the way.
at my last company, we had this really annoying woman as our manager and she just didnt know what she was doing. most people couldnt stand her. we would have email threads similar to the one you described....anyway, my one friend intended to forward one of her dumb emails to me and made some inappropriate, yet funny, comment about her weight issues (she was a tad overweight)...however instead of forwarding it to me, he actually hit the "reply" button and sent it to me and her!
Doin ninety days for non-support
Tried to find me an executive position
But no matter how smooth I talked
They wouldnt listen to the fact that I was a genius
The man say, we got all that we can use.
Now i got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Working at the car wash blues
Well, I should be sittin in an air conditioned office in a swivel chair
Talkin some trash to the secretaries
Sayin, here, now mama, come on over here.
Instead, Im stuck here rubbin these fenders with a rag
And walkin home in soggy old shoes
With them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
You know a man of my ability
He should be smokin on a big cigar
But till I get myself straight I guess Ill just have to wait
In my rubber suit a-rubbin these cars
Well, all I can do is a shake my head
You might not believe that its true
For workin at this end of niagara falls
Is an undiscovered howard hughes
So baby, dont expect to see me
With no double martini in any high-brow society news
Cause I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
So baby, dont expect to see me
With no double martini in any high-brow society news
Cause I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
Yeah I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues
you just got fired from a car wash.....and you are threatening to call the IRS ............
and i am the guy who is supposed to relax???? hehehehehe
just move on and find another job......let it go....
Till there aint nothing left worth taking away from me.....
Being fired from a car wash owned by an unreasonable person is no great loss.
The IRS would also be interested in you paying tax on any unreported income.
Don't waste time or mental energy on the rant you endured.
Move on and prosper.
2. If there are no records that you worked there, how could you even go to the car wash down the street and legitimately claim that you have work experience? You're better off with a legal job.
3. Most importantly, I think this could be a very good learning experience for you - if you let it be. I agree with those who are saying we've all had to learn these lessons at some point or another. Good thing for you it's at a car wash job instead of one that's more valuable to you. (The lesson, by the way, is that you must always be on your best behavior at work, no matter what everyone else is doing, because you can be fired for any reason.)
I used to be a manager of mostly high school and college-aged kids. I once fired the whole janitorial crew for calling me a bitch. They thought it was incredibly unfair because they said it from such a distance that they thought I couldn't hear. (They forgot there was a microphone on and I was in the room with the speaker.) They went over my head to try to fight it. (They lost.) Some of them - all over 18 - even sent their mothers down to argue with me. (Completely futile - except I got to see where they got their attitudes from.)
To be clear, calling me a bitch was just the last straw. This group thought because they worked at night with no supervision they could do whatever they wanted. They thought they were "above the law". They had attitude problems. Their shift overlapped a little with mine and that of a gay guy who worked there. They were totally insubordinate and would give the gay guy such a hard time that he was afraid to be alone with them. They thought all of this was acceptable behavior because they were all doing it. That's not to say that what you did is the same, just an example of how people often think they can act a certain way at work and it's a rude awakening when they get fired.
This is a good lesson to remember these days especially with "personal" computers at work. As someone already pointed out, the IT folks can monitor what you're doing and saying through your work computer, even if only you have access to use it - and you can get in trouble for it. My current employer is a state university and we were recently reminded that anything we say in our personal email could end up on the front page of the local newspaper. I also know an IT guy at a business that's in the process of laying people off. He can see which employees are online at work looking for new jobs, and that information can be used when they decide who will be in the next round of lay-offs.
Anyway, my point is that you should always be on your best behavior at work. Don't get too comfortable and think just because you're a hard worker or because everyone else is doing something or because you don't think someone can hear/see you that it's ever okay to be anything less than professional.
It does suck that you got fired though. Good luck!
i shouldn't have posted this.