The Between-Jobs Buzz: Better Put On Some Galoshes Because It’s Shit-Storming Outside.

A week ago, I received a phone call from the claims adjustor. She wanted to get some clarification on a few things. I was leery about what this clarification had to do with my case, but told her to let it rip. I mean, it couldn’t get any worse, right? HA! She was calling to ask me about a petition that I had signed demanding the immediate removal of ELD and that I had opened up one of ELD’s paychecks without her permission. … I just about wanted to die of shock when she asked me those things.

1. I answered the paycheck commentary first. I explained to her that before I took over the store, ELD had scheduled a trip to TX with her family. During the week or so that she was to be gone, she asked Some Other Employee to pick up her paycheck. She then asked SOE to open up the envelope and tell her how much was in there. SOE decided that this meant that she could tell everyone in the store how much ELD made. The only reason I found out, at any point, how much she made or that this had happened was because TPO wanted to know how it was possible that ELD made more than she did. So, of course, I found out how much ELD was making and the whole brouhaha about the thing. ELD later accused TPO of doing that, to which TPO hotly denied it (to her face). I, of course, knew that SOE had done the deed so nipped it in the bud.

I explained all of this to Claims Adjustor Woman.

2. I told her that about three weeks or so before I was fired, TPO had asked about writing a petition to The CO about removing ELD from our store. This was just prior to the mediation that I “wasn’t supposed” to allow. I told her that that was a bad idea and that The CO would probably laugh in her face. I also mentioned that ELD had put in for a transfer to a store closer to her house already, so we should sit back and wait. In reality, I knew that there would be no transfer (as did TPO), but I had to put the best face forward on a situation that I had little to no control over. BHOP wouldn’t remove ELD from the store to “create new problems” in other stores; it was unfair to the other stores. I agreed with her, but felt like I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I really tried to make things better for TPO but my hands were tied.

I told her that there was never a petition and that I never signed the damn thing. I told her that it was impossible for me to have signed something that didn’t exist.

I was disqualified from getting unemployment benefits.

“…were discharged for bullying a co-worker. Such discharge is due to deliberate misconduct in willful disregard of the employing unit’s interest and is subject to disqualification…” I got the letter telling me that today. There was also this little piece of paper that I had to fill out to ask for an appeal. I, of course, filled that out. It’s sitting in an envelope and ready to be mailed out tomorrow. I am, of course, super fucking pissed off.

I thought it was in the bag, honestly. There is no fucking evidence of any of these allegations–it’s a strict he-said/she-said. And as it was, I was never fired for bullying. I was fired for “allowing” bullying to happen in the store. This is why I wanted a written reason as to why they were “discharging” me. I knew they were going to change their minds after the fact and fucking lie about it. I can only imagine what sort of other false shit they’ve padded my personnel file with. And again, this is why I don’t dare even try to find a job because who the fuck knows what the hell they’ll tell any prospective future employers? I know they’re not “supposed to” say anything about my record, but these people are lying fucking assholes. They’ll do whatever the fuck they want, when they want.

SO. AGGRAVATED.