Got fired today! Sorta feel goood about it! LONG!

[Lancer]

After almost 6 years of working for these [censored] idiots, I got fired/quit today.Industrial painter for a smaller metal fabrication shop (about 25-30 employees). My shop was moved across town and there were only 5 of us there. I was the only painter in a company of welders. It wasn't too bad of a job for the most part. Had mostly free reign on all the projects I got. My boss used to be really cool. Then he was put in charge of a project that was really out of our league.The problem started almost a year ago. My boss would start doing things that he knew peed me off. Like using my paint gun and not cleaning it afterwords (and I got yelled at when my tips got clogged!), 'touching up' my work after he manhandled the parts and doing a crappy job about it. Then it started getting more personal and just plan harassing. Even though I'd always get all my work done and looking perfect, he didn't like the way I organize and cleaned. I did come to work a few minutes late all the time, but I would always make it up. Besides, there wasn't any time clock or anything. And for the past 6 months He would decide how much I worked and what I deserved to be paid. So of course I was short all the time, especially with any overtime. They still owe me 6hrs of overtime pay from December. Like I'll ever see that!I finally went to the VP of the company (one of his jobs is HR) about my boss harassing me. I told him a bunch of incidents that happened and how he likes to call all the other employees over and play drill instructor in front of everyone, then say I wasn't respecting him. My VP told me that he's heard all kinds of things about me and EVERYONE says how 'difficult' I am to work with. I can think of 3 in the whole company that I didn't get along with. But after my talk with the VP things did get better, but only for a little while. My boss would start doing little annoying things to me again. Finally this week he's been on a mission to goat me into a fight. Monday I was painting (80 degrees and in a full paint suit and half mask). I went to get another 5 gal. bucket of paint and tripped over my hoses, sending all my gun cleaning stuff flying and the buckets I used for a table bouncing. I went to pick one up and fumbled it really bad and it ended up sorta slamming to the round and rolling towards some old painted parts. Next thing I hear is my boss screaming at the top of his voice about throwing [censored............................] around and wrecking stuff cause I can't controll my anger. Then he kicks the bucket into a cabinet that I just painted last week. Idiot!! And my car has been in the shop for the past 2 weeks waiting for the engine swap. So my wife and I have to share her car. She dropped me off in the morning and at 1pm she comes to pick me up to take her back to work during her lunch period. This is something we have to do! She works until 5pm, I work until 3pm, our kids get done with school at 3:15pm and it's a little too far for a 5yr old to walk. And we can't rely on my wife's family to help (cuzz there a Jerry Springer type family!) I've done this before a few times. Tuesday my wife called to tell me she's on her way. My boss answered the phone and just kept saying 'what?' Then he wouldn't tell me she called (he's been doing this a lot lately). So she shows up and I take off (like I've been doing all week!) and come back about 20min. later. Today I get back from this and he's all like you gotta tell me what and where your going cuz your not respecting me by just taking off like that. So I asked him about respecting me and my wife about the phone calls. Then it escalated from there and let him know just how I feel about him. He likes to be the loudest in an argument so I matched him until he stared tearing up and lip quivering (yeah I actually got him to cry he was so p.o. ed! ). Then he said that the next time I leave the building not to come back. Said f(censored) it got my things and started walking out. Then he started cursing me out so I returned the salutations. I got the last word in at least. Yeah, almost 6 years with NO raise (even though my VP and Pres. always said how good my work was and that they've never had a better painter. Every project I had was done in the time allotted.One hernia repair and lots of back and knee injuries. Lots of rolled ankles from the holes in the floor around my booth that they wouldn't fix.A ton of grief from all the crap I put up with trying to provide for my family, (and car ).What a wast of my life!!!So, can I collect unemployment for being harassed into quiting?Anything I can do about my unpayed undocumented (cuz they don't have time cards of any kind) overtime from December?Any legal routes I can take, like a retaliation lawsuit? Sorry this is a novel, I have a lot to get off my chest.

[Kari]

When you collect unemployment, your employer actually gets charged for it (somewhat indirectly, but they do) so you can apply, but they are very very likely to fight it and you'll have to give the money back.

[WaveAction]

im not sure if i feel glad you got fired..or sad that you did since you kinda feel good about all of this..lol..i havent had the feeling of being fired yet..all my jobs i've left with a 2 weeks notice..maybe someday i will get fired..

[kevera]

Sounds like it was time to get out of there.I wouldn't have put up with it that long,so hats off to you for keeping your composure so long.Why don't you go back to being a Fireman,seems like that made you happy.

[keithvibe]

I would have called OSHA and reported the "rolled ankles" as a work hazzard. They would have insisted the holes be filled or shut them down, and fined them at the same time.You won't be able to collect unemployment, because you quit.And if they did say get out your fired they can dispute your unemployment if they have documentation of your "quality" of work. Kiss your overtime pay goodbye.About the only legal recourse you have is if they didn't pay for the medical bills from the work related incidents, but you will have to prove your hurt back, ect was due to the work you performed.

[Lancer]

The OSHA thing I thought about long ago. Only problem is that we rented the building we worked in. The holes were there before we moved in and OSHA came through a few times and didn't do anything. Not even a thing about the 'repaired' extension cord used to power the table saw, and the duct tape guards on the cold saw. The fire inspector nailed the building for expired tags on the extinguishers. Took 3 months to figure out who's responsibility it was to fix it. Us or the building owner.I wanted to quit for a while but there isn't much a job market around here. Been trying to work out a way (financially) to move back to Plymouth where I was a firefighter/EMT.I'm gonna try to get unemployment while I work out a new future. We'll have to see if they'll except my application. In WI you don't have to pay it back, you get taxed on it though. According to the legal sites I checked out I do have a case to file a suit.I've never had any annual reviews. I've gotten only praise for my work. That's why my boss couldn't fire me before, the company pres. and vp wouldn't let him do it cause they said it was so hard to find anyone that can do what I do as well. I went to the home office right after I got fired and told them what happened. They were P.o.'d! The only bad thing I do is come to work 5-10 min. late a lot. When I was a temp the supervisor from the other department tried to right me up on. My boss was cool then and covered for me, then the company pres. finally said that he didn't think it was that much of a big deal. All the time keeping was guessamation, depends on how he feels about you the day before payday, that's no joke either! Cuz he shows up between 8am and 9:30am and leaves around 2:45pm. So, he's never around when I arrive and leave. He leaves it up to his lead welder to figure out. And most of the time He's inside a cabinet welding or grinding.

[Atomic]

My 2 cents:If the employer (superior/supervisor etc) essentially harassed you to the point of quitting, then there may be some recourse for wrongful dismissal, but since you quit, I don't know how that would really play out in legal terms (unemployment benefits or lawsuit).An emotionally toxic workplace with a (removed)-hole for a boss drives a lot of people to your kind of situation.Personally, It's good you stood up for yourself, even if it did cost you your job, most people would not, and end up with an ulcer or worse.Karma has a way of making things even, and in the end, bullies get paid back what they dealt.Good, efficient, knowledgeable painters (industrial and otherwise) are almost always hard to find, just not much need in your location at the moment.It seems like this company has lost a good employee to keep a bad supervisor.The OSHA stuff surprises me though, in Ontario, we also have a provincial body called the Ministry of Labour, that can come into any workplace without notice and check for safety violations, and I think they can lay charges and fines for industrial accidents where the company or even a supervisor is at fault.Did this company have a Health and Safety representative, or WHMIS training, or is that just a Canadian requirement?The holes in the floor sound like perfect candidates for unsafe working conditions, especially if you were injured in the workplace.Good luck, and keep thinking positive.

[ramenboy...]

hey chrissorry to hear about the job, but in the long run, like people have said here, you're probably better off. if you go to a job that you hate, or you're working in a place where people are making it hell, that's not good for your head, or for your family.i'm sure things will turn up. take the family climbing/camping in devils lake. relax in baraboo for the weekend.take it easy.

[moongdss]

Dude, that is teh suck! You ex-boss needs to get hit by a bus. BOO on him!!