Well, I Lost Another Job

On the accusation of false racism, Amazon decided to terminate my employment. I pleaded and insisted I never used the 'n' word but because of the accusation they could possibly be sued by my accuser they had no choice. I was very angry, upset, and quite frankly panicked. Being fired would mean no unemployment and yet another stain on my resume. My mom is not employed so she can't help and I have car payments, insurance, and debts. I drove home in silence not sure what I would be able to do. It's the holiday season and finding a job will be difficult until January. After about 20 minutes of driving, I got a call from Amazon and they have decided not to contest unemployment. It's not a job but it's some security. God is looking out for me and I'll be alright. It still stings though as I put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into this job and to lose it because of the accusations of one person wants me to be angry but it won't do any good. Instead I will look toward the future and realize Amazon was just not where I was meant to be. I'll just look at this as a forced, unpaid vacation .

Praying for you. I hope you get either a new position or a whole 'nother job that is just as good if not better than the other.

muckie wrote:

Praying for you. I hope you get either a new position or a whole 'nother job that is just as good if not better than the other.

Thanks! God already answered one prayer as Amazon called to tell me I was going to get unemployment while I was worried about what I would do. So I have hope for whatever comes next .

Sorry to hear that DB. Good thoughts, vibes and prayers are coming out your way.

That sucks! I thought this job would stick. It's been your longest run without incident, 'til now...
I wonder why that person accused you? Is there racial tension there?

It's BS that they terminated your job based on a mere accusation. It was his word against yours. Did anyone claim to be a witness?

Troublezone wrote:

It's BS that they terminated your job based on a mere accusation. It was his word against yours. Did anyone claim to be a witness?

No witness, just an accusation. Remember, Amazon is a very PC place and there is any number of things I could have said (I talk to myself when working as a way to keep me motivated-for instance, if I picked a movie I like, I'll quote a line from it) that could have set them off. The claim was that I said the 'n' word. Well, there are several words that someone could mishear as that. You can't actually hear every word said at the station next to you clearly all the time (lot of background noise). Perhaps they didn't like my singing (I also would sing to keep me motivated) or I may have stated an opinion to myself they didn't like (again, in regards to something I picked) and was just waiting for me to say something they could report. I've done that for almost the entire time I was there and never a complaint (some have even been amused by my upbeat shenanigans). We just got a plethora of new pickers, many of them barely out of high school, and any one of them could have been offended at something I said.

Lesson learned is that you can't say anything anymore because you never know who will be offended at what. I have no racist bone in my body and have had friends and acquaintances from all walks of life but apparently even with that fact I could say something to offend someone. They said they fought for me as hard as they could but the guy at the top said I had to go. If they did nothing, they could possibly face a lawsuit for a hostile work environment. There are probably employees who have said worse things and I just had the bad luck to be made an example of. The fact that they're going to let me claim unemployment tells me that there this was purely company politics at play. However, since Texas is an at-will state, they can fire me for any reason or no reason at all so I just have to move on.

Sorry to hear that my Metal brother!!! Blessings and thoughts sent your way and I hope that this all works itself out and you are working again soon.

007 wrote:

Sorry to hear that DB. Good thoughts, vibes and prayers are coming out your way.

Thanks!

Thelemech wrote:

Sorry to hear that my Metal brother!!! Blessings and thoughts sent your way and I hope that this all works itself out and you are working again soon.

.

Thanks! I'm sure it will. I gained some experience as an ambassador while there. Basically, that means I trained new hires in the job (the process, policies, company expectations, safety, etc.) so those learned skills can help me.

Thoughts and Prayers for you, Mike. The last sentence in your original post sounds to me like you already have your head in a good place. And you are right, God is looking out for you. Keep your head held high.

the sentinel wrote:

Thoughts and Prayers for you, Mike. The last sentence in your original post sounds to me like you already have your head in a good place. And you are right, God is looking out for you. Keep your head held high.

Thanks, I will .

And that's a damn shame you lost your job over hearsay (if that's the proper term)

Shouldn't amazon be concerned about you suing them for termination without so much as attempting to determine if he/she was speaking the truth?

Sword Of The Heretic wrote:

Shouldn't amazon be concerned about you suing them for termination without so much as attempting to determine if he/she was speaking the truth?

Unfortunately, Texas is an at-will state:

Quote :

Texas is an at-will employment state. An employer can usually fire an employee for any reason at any time. A major exception exists when an employment contract exists between which limits the employer's ability to terminate the employment relationship at will. Additionally, employers may not fire an employee for an illegal reason, such as discrimination based on age, race, or gender, or in retaliation for filing an employment-related complaint against the company for workers' compensation, an unsafe work environment, or discrimination.

I would have no legal standing for a lawsuit against Amazon sadly. I could sue the accuser for defamation of character, but their identity was kept confidential. Even if not, the accuser is probably a young kid barely out of school and I wouldn't get anything from them (even if not, they are a low level seasonal employee at Amazon and make even less than I was).

DallasBlack wrote:

Perhaps they didn't like my singing (I also would sing to keep me motivated) or I may have stated an opinion to myself they didn't like (again, in regards to something I picked) and was just waiting for me to say something they could report

Oh, brother. You weren't singing "One in a Million" by Guns & Roses, were you?

I find it ironic they would claim to care about racism when they've repeatedly refused to remove that book "A Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure" in favor of 'free speech'. That book, in theory (as some have said in the reviews) would be eligible for promoting criminal incentive. Surely, they wouldn't help sell a book that encouraged terrorists to exploit the security of Americans to blow people up, would they? It is really crazy.

Speaking of Amazon... Their new "prime" commercial is annoying.

From what I understand 82 % of the current Amazon employees will be gone in 3 years. They have a HIGH turnover and are a terrible company to work for. They really need to Unionize over crap firings like that.

I hear they are even worse than Walmart as an employer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/16/technology/inside-amazon-wrestling-big-ideas-in-a-bruising-workplace.html?_r=0

Troublezone wrote:

Speaking of Amazon... Their new "prime" commercial is annoying.

When I got home the day I was fired, that commercial was the first thing I saw on TV.

Thats so messed up, so essentially someone can go to their HR and lie and the poor person who is being lied about can be fired. So messed up I feel for ya

I am going to be good and I am looking at the positive side of all this however, to deny that I am still upset at all this would be lying to myself. Hope nobody minds but I think a little rant might make me feel better.

I could understand it were there were multiple people complaining about me, then maybe I could feel a bit responsible, but it was just one person. What stings the most is that I did nothing and I was just a few months away from possibly becoming a manager and make more money. Now looking for a job, I may have to accept a pay cut. However, I refuse to go back to a wage I was making before Amazon (I started at $10.75). If push comes to shove, I'd take one for a bit less but going too low is not acceptable.

Another loss is my stock. When you become an Amazon associate, you are given stock but it isn't vested until two years of permanent employment. I would have been vested in April and that would have given me (a much needed) few thousand dollars. However, I lost all that as well as any health/dental insurance.

It's really a shame though that you can get fired for a word. Even if I had said the word once, I don't think it should have cost me my job. Give me a warning, fine me, heck suspend me but to take away over two years of hard work and dedication on the word of one person is aggravating. I worked through sinus infections, migraines, stomach problems, and allergy attacks. I stayed at hotels during icy weather so I could make it into work. When articles came out talking about how bad it is to work at Amazon, I defended them to the hilt. I didn't want to take on extra responsibilities without extra pay but I did it because they required it for me to move up in the company. I was the best picker with the most consistent days of high productivity and the fewest quality errors.

I liked what I did and was the best at doing it but none of that matters because one overly sensitive busy body thought I said something or I said something they didn't like (the accusation of the 'n' word could have just been a pretense-saying something someone doesn't like is less severe than a racial slur). It pisses me off that in this day and age that people think they have the right to not be offended. There are plenty of people that say things that I don't like or could possibly offend me but I don't seek to hurt them or destroy their livelihood because of it. I'm an adult and I understand that not everyone is going to think or act like I think they should. I'm not going to force them to change or punish them for it. Sadly, the world we live in is going to pot. We teach our children that if someone says something we don't like, it's perfectly acceptable to ruin them because of it. Raising a bunch of delicate flowers who never learn to grow a pair. Life isn't fair but we teach them that is should be and to punish those who won't let it become a reality. More often than not it seems those who are hurt by people offending them cause more damage to the offender than the offender caused them. Really, what leads to a more hostile work place? Being offended by something someone says (once or twice-I can understand if someone has a habit of offending people, that can be a problem) or worrying about what you say possibly causing you to lose your job? Constantly having to watch everything you say or do and worrying that the smallest slip up could cost you your job without warning leads to a much more hostile work environment that any word you could possibly hear.

I've known that the political correct way of thinking was damaging to society but I never thought I'd be a victim of it. Is it any wonder that comedians like Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld refuse to play in front of college kids?

Rant is over. While I have no faith in the world we live in, I do have faith in a loving God. He will see me through it despite the obstacles life puts in my way.

Very sorry to hear about this.

All I read is it is everybody else's fault.  Take some accountability DB, you are not a victim of anything but your own immaturity.  You say other's need to grow a pair ? I say grow up and leave the "upbeat shenanigans" for home and personal life.  The workplace is a professional environment and if you maintain that balance,  misunderstandings will to be harder to develop and it will be a whole lot easier to remain beyond reproach.

I may sound harsh, but it is really heartfelt advice.  You can take it or leave it.

James B. wrote:

All I read is it is everybody else's fault.  Take some accountability DB, you are not a victim of anything but your own immaturity.  You say other's need to grow a pair ? I say grow up and leave the "upbeat shenanigans" for home and personal life.  The workplace is a professional environment and if you maintain that balance,  misunderstandings will to be harder to develop and it will be a whole lot easier to remain beyond reproach.

I may sound harsh, but it is really heartfelt advice.  You can take it or leave it.

So I was immature because I had fun at work? I deserved to lose my job because some delicate little flower's sensibilities were hurt? Well, think what you will because I don't care. I worked my ass off for that company and I was damn good at what I did (if not the best picker then in the top 3). I did this because not only did I like my job, I liked the company I worked for and the managers I worked under. I broke no rules, treated everyone with respect, didn't lose my temper at anyone, didn't break anything or cost the company money (as I said, I had one of the best quality records there), and did all that was required of me: I DID NOTHING WRONG. I have screwed up in my past jobs and I take responsibility for those, but I refuse to blame myself for this. I have no guilt for anything I did while working there.

But make no mistake about my rants. I am not going to let this get me down either. I'm not going to badmouth Amazon as a company (I still think it's not a bad place to work overall and will continue to order stuff from them) and I refuse to remain bitter because of it. I gained experience, learned how to break out of my shell in the process of training people, and proved to myself that I can be successful at something (longest held job since 2010 by a wide margin and I was just a few months from being promoted to a leadership role). I have hopes for the future and refuse to lose any sleep over this.

DallasBlack wrote:

It's really a shame though that you can get fired for a word. Even if I had said the word once, I don't think it should have cost me my job.

What was it that you said?