Family member went to the hospital will lose job at 11 PM

[Omaha Steve]

A family member is in the hospital with very high blood pressure. When he called work, they told him be here on time or your fired.

He was pistol whipped at the convenience/gas store last year 2 days before Christmas. He has been looking, but this was the better paying of any jobs offered since then.

[pnwmom]

1. There ought to be a law. . . . is this really legal? n/t

[Omaha Steve]

3. Nebraska is a work at employers will state

Hire and fire as they see fit (unless you have a union contract or professional association contract).

[xmas74]

6. Missouri is similar.

I'm worried about the write-up I'll be facing at work tomorrow. The school nurse called me at work today and said I had to pick up my sick child. I had to leave work for the rest of the day.

I know how the family feels. At least I still have a job, though I think I'm getting a suspension out of this. Sad since I have a couple of weeks of sick time available for use but am penalized for actually using it.

[Jefferson23]

9. You're penalized for sick time you have? That is disgusting, hope all works out for you.

Good luck.

[xmas74]

12. If we have more than one occurrence in a years' time.

With an occurrence you can take off up to five days and have it count as one occurrence. I always take off just one day and come back immediately, worried about running out of sick time. I've missed twice since Jan 1 so now I'll be receiving a write-up.

I take off two days total in a year and get a write-up while someone else could take off ten days under the occurrence policy and still be fine.

[Jefferson23]

18. How stressful for you. Bizarre language, they refer to the human experience outside the work place

an occurrence. Like you shouldn't live!

[xmas74]

22. They only worry about the bottom line for the corporation,

not about personal lives.

[REP]

19. Lemme guess. SWB/AT&T? Where 1 MINUTE late is an occurance?

Been there done that.

[xmas74]

21. Nope.

Won't say name of the place but it deals with college cafeterias.

[REP]

25. I know what it is then

If you have the required hours per year, you may be covered by FMLA for leaving work to take care of your child. Check with Missouri Labor and Industrial Relations http://labor.mo.gov and here http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm

[xmas74]

27. I was informed that FMLA only covered ongoing

illnesses, not simple bouts of the flu or a cold.

And you might know the name of this corporation-they're a human rights violator all over the world.

[REP]

28. Well, they're wrong. Please take it up with the State. Get your time back.

I fought this - and won. During the Bush years. They WILL back down. They're counting on you not knowing the law.

The flu, by the way, is a serious illness in children and adults; colds are serious in anyone with asthma. Just FYI, but your DOCTOR makes the final call - not your employer. Period, end of sentence.

Please read the FMLA info!

[xmas74]

29. I'll have to re-read the info.

They tend to play this game all the time over there. I recently said something about how I should get FMLA for my allergies d/t the new policy and I was informed that they wouldn't be covered, since I would have to take the time off all at once.

[REP]

30. Ha! Wrong! You can take FMLA in HOURS if needed.

I've had the Fed Gov and the states of Missouri and California make this very, very clear :)

Allergies I don't think are covered though; migraines are.

[xmas74]

32. Now that's something I really need to look at.

The allergy season has been horrible this year. I've yet to have a clearheaded day and constantly have twitching behind my eyes along with headaches. I've put up with it because I'm afraid I'll lose my job.

It would be nice to know that my job is safe with FMLA.

[REP]

34. It is!! Please do read it and get the State behind you - you're right, your employer isn't

Remember, it's your DOCTOR who decides what a serious illness is - not me, not your employer. Your doctor does not have to specify WHAT you or your child is seriously sick with, only that a serious health condition exists. It's on the paperwork s/he has in his/her office.

[leftyohiolib]

31. were i work our managers suggest we apply even if off only 1 day

espescially for a child, but you'll need some kind of documemntation from a doctor. but even if they say no it's still worth submitting an app.

[xmas74]

33. It's worth the app

but I was informed before I wasn't eligible, according to the corporation. Then again, they tend to lie about everything.

[rury]

35. Work has become an inhumane hell

Where I work (a bank!) ANY unscheduled absence (leaving early, arriving late or missing work altogether) is an occurrence.
They're bastards!!!!

[xmas74]

36. It's all an occurrence here too

I'm tired of it all and wish I could find something better. There's just nothing out there right now.

[uppityperson]

37. I worked for a place like that, it sucked. They also had a thing to "encourage" us to not call in si

sick, where they marked down every day no one was sick. If enough days went by when NO ONE called in sick, they had a party of some sort. Cake, coffee, whoopee. If anyone called it, it was set back to zero. There were enough minimum wage workers that they got really pissed if someone called in sick and cost them their cake. Nursing home it was. 20 yrs ago. It sucked.

And, if you were sick, they would rather have you stay home until you get well rather than coming back and getting sick again. or getting sick later in the yr, which would count as a different illness and you got written up. It sucks also.

[Liberal Veteran]

17. Disgusting is one word. Loathsome also springs to mind.

The mixed messages that companies send now is beyond abhorrent.

"Don't come to work if you feel like you have the flu or something similar, but if you do have the flu or a bad cold and call out, expect us to punish you with a write up or demerit."

And then the company wonders why there is constantly "something" going around the office causing people to cough, sneeze and generally feel miserable. Then they pack you right next to one another so close you can't possible avoid being exposed to whatever airborne crap your neighbor is suffering through.

If something "plague-like" ever strikes the country, it's going to spread like wildfire because of the ridiculous policies of corporations.

[Jefferson23]

20. Authoritarian and counterproductive. I'm sorry to hear this is getting worse for employees

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

[Papagoose]

23. Same in Georgia, or at least that's my understanding

[xmas74]

24. It really sucks, doesn't it?

We are treated as less than human.

[joeglow3]

13. Nebraska is right to work unless you are a protected class

If this is a medical condition, they cannot fire him (just had HR training at my Omaha based company last week). Now, they can make his life a living hell, cut his hours, etc. and make it real hard to prove this is why.

[roguevalley]

38. tell the newspapers. they love this shit and some news stations

have teams that investigate these things.

[FiveGoodMen]

2. Shit that's awful.

Has anyone checked if it's legal?

Reminds me so much of the conditions in Upton Sinclair's 'The Jungle'

[Liberal Veteran]

4. America, Fuck Yeah!

That's the dystopian future (and apparently present) that conservatives are pushing.

It's shit like that which makes me want to push back - TWICE AS HARD!

(I'm sorry your family member is having to deal with this. It is as wrong as wrong gets that a person is told to choose their job or their health.)

[MattBaggins]

10. It is exactly the problem we have

It is the product of the brainwashing we receive where minimum wage slaves are the first to foam at the mouth and curse the mere mention of anything European.

We as a Nation have it drilled in our heads that we should become more and more like Asian nations and Europeans are down right evil with their communist agendas.

I don't get our country at all anymore. Given a choice between an Asian model and a European one, we heading light speed toward the wrong one.

[Ian David]

5. Someone should let Anonymous know. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. That's horrible.

I just have no words...

[w8liftinglady]

8. Steve, I feel so bad for your family member

And this does NOTHING to help his hypertension. remind him to check his bp daily and take his meds.That comes first.I'll keep him in my thoughts.

[Omaha Steve]

16. I don't even know yet what got him to go to the Dr.

I only found out a half hour ago. I don't know all the details.

He has been a good worker that has worked double shifts without warning, on time, etc.

[HipChick]

11. Get the story out to local media..ASAP

No company likes negative stories

[David Sky]

15. I agree, send the camera crew into the hosptial and to the door of the..

person who told him/her they'd lose their job for being very sick in a hospital.

Get the clip on Youtube by tomorrow.

These slime need to be shown to America for what they are.

[elehhhhna]

14. Might be time to "OCCUPY your relative's SHIT JOB" there, Steve.

Those stores depend on local repeat business. CALL 'EM OUT. Their customers will sympathize. Voila.

[REP]

26. Does he have enough time per year to be covered by FMLA?

He needs to contact his state's board of Fair Housing and Employment/Labor and Industrial Relations/whatever it is called in his state.

FMLA info: http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/index.htm

[Omaha Steve]

39. His company doesn't employ the required minimum of 50 to be covered by FMLA

http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/benefits-leave/fmla.htm

FMLA applies to all public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees.

[Omaha Steve]

40. Kick

[renate]

41. so, what happened?

First, is he okay?

Next, did they actually fire him?

I'll second (or third, or fourth) the suggestions to call the news media. At the very least, a letter to the editor is in order (although not from your relative; you wouldn't want his name to turn up in a Google search if he has to find a new job).