On April 6th, it was brought to my attention that the Ladies' rooms had become unacceptable with the cleanliness condition. I have found wrappers, applicators, and piles of toilet paper left in the toilets previously. The lead in the Press line area had discoverd a mess the day before and I two days before. A fellow lead in Forming, told me she had discovered a mess from santitary products in the toilet. This was the morning after HR director had placed signs in both of the Ladies' restrooms about being more responsible with personal hygiene products. I expressed my desire to conduct a meeting to have more of an impact that a mere sign. I asked Marty if I could have two minutes after first break (9:25a.m.) to remind all the ladies in the plant of their responsibility to be more repectable of the plumbing, the janitor, and of each other. He said, "I would rather just fire them. Fire them all." and threatened to lock the doors until break times. To which I replied, "You just can't do that. How are you going to prove who did it? Let's have a meeting, please. Woman only, by the back bathroom, after first break." Marty and I parted ways for several minutes as we had work to do but still considering paths of action. Marty returned within 10 minutes and said, "You can have your meeting. I want you to head the speaking, but wait for HR director." I was overjoyed. So, I let all the leads in the plant know to have all the women to report to the back bathroom from the entire production floor. One lead questioned the older ladies attending and I pointed out that you COULDN'T discriminate on age. It is none of the company's business if/who is still in the reproductive years of thier lives. All women who use these rooms need to show up. With approximately 40 female workers and the obvious problem of sanitation, it was very important to me to make it clear that it would not be tolerated. And Marty and HR director TRUSTED me to convey that exact mood to the other ladies working at #### I successfully conducted the short meeting and asked if anyone had questions because a large group speaks Spanish. After all the ladies dispersed, HR director walked back to my work station with me and commended me on my delivery and stated that if we had to, use a key for the restroom door. Similar to one you may encounter at a grocery store or a convenience store. HR director added, if needed, we would hire a monitor for the Ladies' Room. I reassured her that would not be necessary. Around 10:30am that morning, Marty had Bill put a hasp on the door. No locks were used at this point. Apparently, it was installed merely to intimidate.
On Tuesday, April 12th, I was at work. At 9:15 a.m. we had a ten-minute break and by 11 o'clock, I needed to use the restroom. I was alone. I was standing at the sink washing my hands when I heard the entrance door behind me open, so I turned around to look because no one came in. I caught a glimpse of the person's white tennis shoes through the grate at the bottom of the door. I quickly dried my hands on two paper towels and shut the light off and left. The hallway was empty and so was the warehouse as I was the only one working in the warehouse that day. The warehouse is right outside of the hallway, followed by the Cut-line area. I walked about 10 feet before I could identify the owner of those shoes. They belonged to Jack, the Vice President of ####. (Also the owner's son.) He was entering the gates of the Cut-line. I checked the time and it was 11:03 a.m.
I was offended. I reported him to H.R. at 12:05 p.m. on April 12, 2011. HR director stated that she would have a discussion with Jack about it. I am always working and feel that a HUGE violation of my rights has occurred. Being a woman, I expect PRIVACY FROM MEN when using the restroom at work. Jack had no business whatsoever coming into the Ladies' Room. If he was merely interested in checking to see why the water/lights were on, he should have checked the sign on the door. Or knocked and announced himself first. He has worked there for years and should never have confused it with the MENS room. And when he walked away, he was walking fast, as to remove himself from an obviously awkward situation. I used to work in the Warehouse which required me to stay until 3:30pm; the other plant employees would leave at 3 p.m. There were two occasions in which Jack checked this same Ladies' Room, and I was in there after 3:30 p.m. However, he had knocked and announced himself. I could understand why he would be interested in making sure the lights were off on those occasions when almost all the employees had left for the day.
Lunchtime is at 11:30 a.m. I think maybe that he was concerned with someone going to the bathroom so close to lunchtime. The reasons I have for using the bathroom do not concern my boss, or any man. In my opinion, he was careless and irresponsible for not checking to see if the restroom was occupied. It is my personal business what I do when I'm in the bathroom.
On Wednesday, April 13th, 2011, I was at work. I was working in the warehouse for Anna to replace an individual who was off of work for a few days. I had been working in his place since Monday, April 11th, 2011. I was not feeling well and was experiencing constant physical pain, numbness and tingling in my right hand and arm but I gave it my best and went in to work. I was taking Ibuprofen to relieve the pain I was experiencing. Working was aggravating the symptoms of my hand/arm and especially the work required of me in the warehouse. There is alot of heavy lifting, manual counting and documentation to track. I filled an order that morning for Marty they needed in the Forming Department (where I usually work) and delivered it. Since this order was "hotter" than others were I worked with a lady to make sure that the parts were needed for this order. By deducting stock from a similar harness and tallying what was going to be needed for Purchasing, I filled out what we refer to as "Out of Stock" forms. At this point, I had completed the order. It was approximately 10:15 a.m. Marty walked up to me in front of this employee and advised when I was finished in the warehouse at 3 p.m., I would need to go to Forming until 4 p.m. and walked away. Knowing that I was not feeing well and in physical pain, I may have said it in front of this other employee that I would not be staying. I immediately found Marty and told him I would not be available by saying, "I am not feeling well. I'm leaving." I went to the office of Anna, asked her for an absence slip, she signed it and I went to the gather my jacket and purse. I saw Marty leaving the front office, where the H.R. department is. I continued on to speak with HR director. I knocked on her door and went in. I handed her my absence slip and she asked what was wrong. I explained how I wouldn't be able to perform my duties for the rest of the day because I was ill and in physical pain. I needed to go to the doctor. I told her that I had been congested in my head and chest for several weeks and that for the last couple of days, I had been experiencing constant numbness and pain in my right arm and wrist. I then asked her where the company doctor was located. She said, "You can't go there unless you have an injury from work." So I asked where I could see a doctor. She recommended a clinic. I asked her at this point, "If I feel better, can I come back?" and she said, "Yes."
I went to this clinic and discovered it is a community clinic that charge patients based on a sliding-fee scale. I made an appointment for 1:30 p.m. that day. I would need to be back by 1 p.m. to fill out paperwork and was advised of several items that I would need, including proof of income. I returned to work immediately and met with HR director again. I told her of my appoinment and asked her if she could provide something "official" proving my income since I do not keep payroll stubs on my person or in my vehicle. HR director said the computers would be locked up for the next couple of hours but accommodated me in another way. She cut a strip of paper out for me with that week's current information regarding hours, hourly wage, deductions, etc. I thanked her and she said, "See you after your appointment." and I left.
I went to the doctor's office and sat in the car until my appoinment. I was seen by Dr. around 1:30p.m. He gave me some prescriptions, a return visit appointment (for April 27, 2011), a wrist brace, a map for local pharmacies, and a note, excusing me from work for the rest of the day.
At 2:50pm, I returned to #### because HR director had said, "See you after your appointment". I felt that it was necessary to give her my note right away. I was wearing the wrist brace. I handed her the note and thought she would say thank you or see you tomorrow. But she asked me to sit down. I sat down in one of the chairs in her office while she closed the door. She came around her desk and grabbed some papers, one of which was highlighted but never shown to me. She said, "We are terminating your employment at ####" I was astonished and said, "What? Why?" HR director replied, "Because of your attitude. While you were gone, I had Marty 'get more information' and you're not getting parts for people. According to our handbook, we are allowed to give you a two-hour notice of overtime and Marty was well within those guidelines. Also, you have a couple of write-ups from Anna and one from Marty." At this point, besides being sick, I was shocked. I did not agree with what they were doing. I felt, and still feel, that I was fired unjustly.
I had always been an extremely cooperative employee. I had only missed four or five days out of my 18 months working there; two of which were planned (H.R. was notified of this) a couple of months ahead of time to spend with my son because I had not earned any vacation by June of last year. I was trained in all departments there, except the Cut-line. I was also one of a few people in the plant certified to drive the forklift. I had even substituted for HR director in H.R. on several occasions. I was a Lead, in training when I was terminated. I felt my job was stable. I had planned on working there indefinitely because I know what a precious commodity a job is.
I didn't even get a chance to explain that the overtime notification had nothing to do with wanting to leave that day. It was simply because I had been ill & I was in constant physical pain. The professional opinion of a doctor should be proof of that. I stood up to leave but before I left, I asked HR director one last question. I asked, "You know, I see alot of people come and go at this place. Is there a chance that you would consider me working here again?" To which she replied, "Let's just let things cool down."
On Tuesday, April 12th, I was at work. At 9:15 a.m. we had a ten-minute break and by 11 o'clock, I needed to use the restroom. I was alone. I was standing at the sink washing my hands when I heard the entrance door behind me open, so I turned around to look because no one came in. I caught a glimpse of the person's white tennis shoes through the grate at the bottom of the door. I quickly dried my hands on two paper towels and shut the light off and left. The hallway was empty and so was the warehouse as I was the only one working in the warehouse that day. The warehouse is right outside of the hallway, followed by the Cut-line area. I walked about 10 feet before I could identify the owner of those shoes. They belonged to Jack, the Vice President of ####. (Also the owner's son.) He was entering the gates of the Cut-line. I checked the time and it was 11:03 a.m.
I was offended. I reported him to H.R. at 12:05 p.m. on April 12, 2011. HR director stated that she would have a discussion with Jack about it. I am always working and feel that a HUGE violation of my rights has occurred. Being a woman, I expect PRIVACY FROM MEN when using the restroom at work. Jack had no business whatsoever coming into the Ladies' Room. If he was merely interested in checking to see why the water/lights were on, he should have checked the sign on the door. Or knocked and announced himself first. He has worked there for years and should never have confused it with the MENS room. And when he walked away, he was walking fast, as to remove himself from an obviously awkward situation. I used to work in the Warehouse which required me to stay until 3:30pm; the other plant employees would leave at 3 p.m. There were two occasions in which Jack checked this same Ladies' Room, and I was in there after 3:30 p.m. However, he had knocked and announced himself. I could understand why he would be interested in making sure the lights were off on those occasions when almost all the employees had left for the day.
Lunchtime is at 11:30 a.m. I think maybe that he was concerned with someone going to the bathroom so close to lunchtime. The reasons I have for using the bathroom do not concern my boss, or any man. In my opinion, he was careless and irresponsible for not checking to see if the restroom was occupied. It is my personal business what I do when I'm in the bathroom.
On Wednesday, April 13th, 2011, I was at work. I was working in the warehouse for Anna to replace an individual who was off of work for a few days. I had been working in his place since Monday, April 11th, 2011. I was not feeling well and was experiencing constant physical pain, numbness and tingling in my right hand and arm but I gave it my best and went in to work. I was taking Ibuprofen to relieve the pain I was experiencing. Working was aggravating the symptoms of my hand/arm and especially the work required of me in the warehouse. There is alot of heavy lifting, manual counting and documentation to track. I filled an order that morning for Marty they needed in the Forming Department (where I usually work) and delivered it. Since this order was "hotter" than others were I worked with a lady to make sure that the parts were needed for this order. By deducting stock from a similar harness and tallying what was going to be needed for Purchasing, I filled out what we refer to as "Out of Stock" forms. At this point, I had completed the order. It was approximately 10:15 a.m. Marty walked up to me in front of this employee and advised when I was finished in the warehouse at 3 p.m., I would need to go to Forming until 4 p.m. and walked away. Knowing that I was not feeing well and in physical pain, I may have said it in front of this other employee that I would not be staying. I immediately found Marty and told him I would not be available by saying, "I am not feeling well. I'm leaving." I went to the office of Anna, asked her for an absence slip, she signed it and I went to the gather my jacket and purse. I saw Marty leaving the front office, where the H.R. department is. I continued on to speak with HR director. I knocked on her door and went in. I handed her my absence slip and she asked what was wrong. I explained how I wouldn't be able to perform my duties for the rest of the day because I was ill and in physical pain. I needed to go to the doctor. I told her that I had been congested in my head and chest for several weeks and that for the last couple of days, I had been experiencing constant numbness and pain in my right arm and wrist. I then asked her where the company doctor was located. She said, "You can't go there unless you have an injury from work." So I asked where I could see a doctor. She recommended a clinic. I asked her at this point, "If I feel better, can I come back?" and she said, "Yes."
I went to this clinic and discovered it is a community clinic that charge patients based on a sliding-fee scale. I made an appointment for 1:30 p.m. that day. I would need to be back by 1 p.m. to fill out paperwork and was advised of several items that I would need, including proof of income. I returned to work immediately and met with HR director again. I told her of my appoinment and asked her if she could provide something "official" proving my income since I do not keep payroll stubs on my person or in my vehicle. HR director said the computers would be locked up for the next couple of hours but accommodated me in another way. She cut a strip of paper out for me with that week's current information regarding hours, hourly wage, deductions, etc. I thanked her and she said, "See you after your appointment." and I left.
I went to the doctor's office and sat in the car until my appoinment. I was seen by Dr. around 1:30p.m. He gave me some prescriptions, a return visit appointment (for April 27, 2011), a wrist brace, a map for local pharmacies, and a note, excusing me from work for the rest of the day.
At 2:50pm, I returned to #### because HR director had said, "See you after your appointment". I felt that it was necessary to give her my note right away. I was wearing the wrist brace. I handed her the note and thought she would say thank you or see you tomorrow. But she asked me to sit down. I sat down in one of the chairs in her office while she closed the door. She came around her desk and grabbed some papers, one of which was highlighted but never shown to me. She said, "We are terminating your employment at ####" I was astonished and said, "What? Why?" HR director replied, "Because of your attitude. While you were gone, I had Marty 'get more information' and you're not getting parts for people. According to our handbook, we are allowed to give you a two-hour notice of overtime and Marty was well within those guidelines. Also, you have a couple of write-ups from Anna and one from Marty." At this point, besides being sick, I was shocked. I did not agree with what they were doing. I felt, and still feel, that I was fired unjustly.
I had always been an extremely cooperative employee. I had only missed four or five days out of my 18 months working there; two of which were planned (H.R. was notified of this) a couple of months ahead of time to spend with my son because I had not earned any vacation by June of last year. I was trained in all departments there, except the Cut-line. I was also one of a few people in the plant certified to drive the forklift. I had even substituted for HR director in H.R. on several occasions. I was a Lead, in training when I was terminated. I felt my job was stable. I had planned on working there indefinitely because I know what a precious commodity a job is.
I didn't even get a chance to explain that the overtime notification had nothing to do with wanting to leave that day. It was simply because I had been ill & I was in constant physical pain. The professional opinion of a doctor should be proof of that. I stood up to leave but before I left, I asked HR director one last question. I asked, "You know, I see alot of people come and go at this place. Is there a chance that you would consider me working here again?" To which she replied, "Let's just let things cool down."
