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.
“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”
Yep...looks to me like you want a little revenge, and if you just want that, or to embarrass him or both, Doc has it right...besides, if they ARE illegals and you turn them in, it might give the local economy some relief. Might not help you out, but it might be a little more Christian than just getting a pound of flesh.
Do consider — if you take this to his church, things are not necessarily going to get better for you. He will be publicly embarrassed ... and he’ll likely strike back. If you’ve got any skeletons he knows about, they’ll be in the local paper before sundown.
If you go to your state employment agency with complaints for wage and hour violations (working off-the-clock, no time-and-a-half overtime, etc.), or report him to ICE, at least you’ll actually make a dent rather than just making him madder.
SnakeDoc
Firstly, he shouldn’t be running the shop like he is. And going to Church to boot.
That being said, it appears that you should have already been looking for a job.
Move on, don’t look in the rear view mirror. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord. You were an accessory to the crime knowing the illegals were there.
You will sleep better and digest food better if you just move on to another job.
You could always blackmail him. Tell him you want a raise and a do-nothing job or else you’re calling INS.
He was raided once years ago and lost about 3/4ths of his employees. He was overheard remarking later that "that will never happen to his mill again". Like he had paid the right people the right amount of money.
This is a man that put a sign up on the border that exclaimed to illegals to come to our town for work. This man is above the law it seems.
Sometimes silence is golden.
Good luck on finding a new job. If possible apply for unemployment. Even if he denies your claim you can appeal. The appeals are pretty much always approved.
Ditto
And why haven't you called Immigration and Customs before?
“What is the precedence (protocol) for presenting my case to his church.”
Don’t.
2. If you really wanted to keep that specific job, you should have let him tromp all over you and kept it.
3. Will any of your coworkers give you a reference?
4. If it was that bad, you're probably well out of it.
5. I've been unemployed or under-employed for the past two years, so feel free to ignore everything I've said.
6. Do not make it a church thing. If they are mostly illegals, call ICE. Anonomously.
Old Mac should have never known what you were thinking and he should never have been able to find out where all his legal and business troubles were coming from.
You should have already been working elsewhere helping run Old Mac out of business.
Adapt and survive.
First of all, you should forget about involving the church in this matter between you and your employer. If Mac has anything to say to the church about you, that’s his business... and if the church wants to talk to you about it, then let them approach you on it, and then you can answer.
Second, the words you chose WERE confrontational.
If an employee of mine insinuated that I was treating them like a slave, I think I would fire them too... regardless of how unfair I was being.
Third, your employer is a scumbag for hiring illegals.
You should report the situation to INS and local authorities... and go find a better job.
Finally, Turn this over to God. Forgive him in your heart, and move on in life. Ask God to take the action He sees fit in the matter. (btw... reporting illegal activity is a civic duty... not revenge)
I’d say go to your state labor board...they might have alot to say!
I would call ICE then I would tell this same story to the local news paper via editorial or letter to the editor. Then I would pickett his busines with as many friends as I could find (don’t forget to check about permits and property lines)In general I would make his life miserable until he saw the error of his ways.. I don’t recall reading in the Bible where Jesus or anyone else said to let people walk all over you and not stand up for yourself
Exactly. Leave the church out of this.
I’d go one step further. I’d talk to Old Mac. Tell him what you know about his hiring illegals. And I’d tell him that he should fork over a 90 day salary as severence. And that he’ll never hear another word from you.
We know the laws of God are more important than
laws of man. Having stated that I would also say
that God has allowed for the laws of man and now
is the time for you to exercise this knowledge.
I wouldn’t bother with his church. He may be a
big donor and his sickness may extend TO his
church.
Contact whatever labor relations agencies that
you can and the INS. Your old boss is cheating
his fellow man and , therefore, he is cheating
God, as well.
“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.”
I concur.
Just tell your story to the state wage-hour board.
You did the right thing. And no, even if permitted, there is nothing to be gained and much damage to yourself in bad mouthing your former employer to the elders of another congregation — or to seek anyone else out for that purpose. You are better focused on applying for unemployment and getting a new job.
As a matter of fact, I would have been all over Homeland reporting this guy WHILE I WAS WORKING THERE!
Yeah, he sounds off; but I would bet my bottom dollar he's more arrogant than off due to illegals and low wages. What does he care? The next batch is coming over the border as I type.
report him. You will be doing the legal workers a favor.
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