Posted on 05/10/2010 2:21:26 PM PDT by LowOiL
Today I was fired because "I wasn't a team player" and "didn't fit in". I worked for an eccentric "Christian" man in his 70's, I myself am Christian also. I will call the owner "Old Mac" for simplicity.
The place I worked as an mechanic was in a fabric mill (no more detail is needed, you know how hard the textile industry has been hit lately). The majority of the mill is illegals and some legals (from Mexico and Guatemala), with about a 30% other population of mostly white fixers and managers.
I worked a second shift and had only met "old Mac" casually before. Stories of his strange behavior ran deep but I never believed them before. Stories of how "old Mac" once saw a fellow on the loading docks lounging around and didn't like it, so he walked up to him and asked him how much he made and was answered XXX per week. Mac calculated the amount in his head, paid the fellow cash and said he was fired. The fellow took the money and left and Mac later found out he didn't even work there, he was just a delivery man.
Anyhoo... my story is one night "old Mac" came in at lunch time (we work 8 and 1/2 hours a day, 30 minutes are suppose to be lunch time and he does not pay us for it). I used to go to my truck and eat lunch in the cab in the parking lot. I would "allow" the "illegals" to go outside too since it was their lunch time too. I didn't see there was any problem, since he wasn't paying them. Old Mac came in and was furious, he did not want "little Mexico" outside his doors and that they were in the mill and he could be fined XXX amount of dollars. They were not in the mill, but they could be he reasoned. I was flabbergassed, I couldn't believe he was doing this. He often ran the air system so the illegals could run their machines during their "lunchtime" but any work they did was not time and a half pay like the law requires. Also us fixers (me and another fellow) were expected to repair the machines during our "lunchtime" and not being paid for it.
I asked "old Mac" if he owned us during the time that he was not paying us, he slowly looked at me and said I was "not being a team player" and that "it set a bad example for the Mexicans" at lunchtime and that they were NOT allowed to go outside whatsoever.
I told "Old Mac" that it was not right to keep me his "slave" during the time he was not paying me. He grumbled off and today I was told I was fired. I was handed my paycheck for the last week and told to leave. I argued that he was not "Christian" what he was doing and that I would bring up the subject to his church on Sunday.
I went to get my supplies and tools and booklets and say bye to everyone and as I left the back door I smelled tire smoke. A police officer had just tore into the parking lot and was waiting close to where I was parked. I guess "old Mac" had called the police on me. I never said a curse word, I never even called him anything more than "Sir". I was Christian about the whole affair, but I was not ran over by him like he wanted me to be.
My question fellow Christian Freepers is this... What is the precedence (protocol) for presenting my case to his church. I do not belong to his church (Baptist) but I am a fellow Baptist of a neighboring church. I have read before somewhere that I am allowed to address their church elders and then I am allowed to address the church next if that fails. I have talked to their pastor (nice fellow) and he said actually I had no Biblical right to talk to their church in that manner since I was not a member.
I seek godly knowledge from fellow freepers.
Please.
Thank you again for your time.
Are you a Palin supporterr?
Sounds like you didn't really need the job, to me.
Sounds like you gave him the choice to fire you and he did ?
I think I would skip the church (which serves more to embarrass than to actually get anything done) and report him for wage/hour violations and employing illegals.
SnakeDoc
Call Homeland Security and have his workers deported.
I’d turn him in to INS but that’s just me.
I’m so sorry this happened to you. Tough call, you could call the pastor where this guy goes to church, but in a small town it might make things worse. If he is hiring illegals, an anonymous call to the INS and the state attorney general might be fun.
Old Mac sounds like he is employing illegals and he should be fined, possibly jailed and shut down. This is if the immigration laws were enforced. I think under Clinton they had more enforcement than Bush or Obama.
Mac is no Christian.
Sadly in the current economy and in small towns and industries like this - you have to say nothing when Mac’s run the show. Apologize, say it will never happen again and deal with it.
Creeps like Mac live by the golden rule - Mac has the gold and he makes the rules.
I believe I’d be calling someone that can bust his ass for hiring illegals, and whatever agency handles labor enforcement, because he’s forcing people to work while off the clock. “Old Mac” needs to be fined.... at least.
You should be thankful in the fact you will be working at a better place as soon as you find another job. You might even qualify for unemployment, due to the circumstances in which you were terminated.
If he is a Christian, I would assume he would run his business in a Christian manner. Illegals working for him?
1) If you want to keep a job, don’t mouth off to your boss, even if you think you’re right and he’s wrong.
2) This is a business affair, not a church matter. It’s ridiculous to try to get the church involved. He owns the business and has a right to fire you if he wants to.
3) If he’s hiring illegals, he’s breaking the law. Report him to ICE.
Yep, turn him in the the INS - that will help him “see the light”.
I may give INS a call, just to make sure everybody’s ID is in order...just to be a sweetie!
WWJD? Standing up for yourself is fine, punishing the wicked is best left to God. When one door closes. another opens! Good Luck!
What possible purpose could be served by talking to his Church?
If anything, talk to Customs-ICE about all the illegals he has working for him.
As for working for Christians: I consider myself one, but suggest you discount it 100% when a boss/co-worker likes to advertise himself/herself as one. By their works shall you know them.
Had one boss (who sounds like old Mac) who was always “Sweet Jesus” this and “The Good Lord” that - and was in fact a shark who would take your last dollar if he had the chance.
He has a plan for you, have faith.
I would not bring it up at his church.
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