First off I want to say that I live in Massachusetts which is at will employment.
I accepted a position 9 months ago, since I was unemployed and needed to get something. The pay and benefits weren't that great. After about 3 months, I wondered why I was hired since I was not very busy, even if I worked part time, there was not enough to keep me busy.
This a small manufacturing company and I worked in the office with about 6 people and there were about 20-25 in the production department.
Here is what happened:Over the last few weeks, one of the women started to give me the cold shoulder and I don't know why and didn't inquire about it.
She started about 4 months before me. Things were tense and one day before I was let go, I asked her something and she grunted at me and I said nothing.
The next day, Friday, is when the incident happened. This occurred about 1/2 hour before the day ended.My boss is Rick, his boss is Ted and Ted's boss is Bob. Ted was not in, Rick and Bob were.
Without going into detail, she annoyed me, I said in a loud voice, I am sick of playing games, she muttered something, I said F*** You, then said to my boss, aren't you going to say anything. Then Bob came out and told me to quiet down and I said, what about talking to her. Again, he told me to quiet down.
He went back to his room and I went back to my desk. After a few minutes, I went into Bob's office to apologize and I could see that he was upset and said that something like this has not happened in his 26 years. I assumed the worst would happen.
On Monday morning, I went to my bosses desk and said I want to speak with him and Ted. I then went into Ted's office and stated that I'm sure that Bob told you what happened and started to explain my behavior. Ted very politely stopped me and stated that this has nothing to do with what happened Friday and that since business was slow, I would be let go.
I knew this was not true and that Bob wanted me gone, but I didn't want to call Ted a liar. (I went into Ted's office on my own, I was not called in.) He said you will get unemployment and that for references, it is company policy to just give dates, salary, title etc.
On that part I tended to believe him since a couple of months earlier I heard him say something similar about a past employee.
My question is why didn't they just tell me the truth? Is it because I could sue them? Do I have any recourse, should I consult an employment lawyer?
A few months earlier, there was yelling going on in the production department and one of the workers then came into the office and yelled about his boss and wanted to see Ted, but he wasn't in that day. Nothing happened to him.
I feel I was let go for yelling, but this other person wasn't and maybe it was because Bob never heard this person.
Were they within their rights?
Thank you.
I accepted a position 9 months ago, since I was unemployed and needed to get something. The pay and benefits weren't that great. After about 3 months, I wondered why I was hired since I was not very busy, even if I worked part time, there was not enough to keep me busy.
This a small manufacturing company and I worked in the office with about 6 people and there were about 20-25 in the production department.
Here is what happened:Over the last few weeks, one of the women started to give me the cold shoulder and I don't know why and didn't inquire about it.
She started about 4 months before me. Things were tense and one day before I was let go, I asked her something and she grunted at me and I said nothing.
The next day, Friday, is when the incident happened. This occurred about 1/2 hour before the day ended.My boss is Rick, his boss is Ted and Ted's boss is Bob. Ted was not in, Rick and Bob were.
Without going into detail, she annoyed me, I said in a loud voice, I am sick of playing games, she muttered something, I said F*** You, then said to my boss, aren't you going to say anything. Then Bob came out and told me to quiet down and I said, what about talking to her. Again, he told me to quiet down.
He went back to his room and I went back to my desk. After a few minutes, I went into Bob's office to apologize and I could see that he was upset and said that something like this has not happened in his 26 years. I assumed the worst would happen.
On Monday morning, I went to my bosses desk and said I want to speak with him and Ted. I then went into Ted's office and stated that I'm sure that Bob told you what happened and started to explain my behavior. Ted very politely stopped me and stated that this has nothing to do with what happened Friday and that since business was slow, I would be let go.
I knew this was not true and that Bob wanted me gone, but I didn't want to call Ted a liar. (I went into Ted's office on my own, I was not called in.) He said you will get unemployment and that for references, it is company policy to just give dates, salary, title etc.
On that part I tended to believe him since a couple of months earlier I heard him say something similar about a past employee.
My question is why didn't they just tell me the truth? Is it because I could sue them? Do I have any recourse, should I consult an employment lawyer?
A few months earlier, there was yelling going on in the production department and one of the workers then came into the office and yelled about his boss and wanted to see Ted, but he wasn't in that day. Nothing happened to him.
I feel I was let go for yelling, but this other person wasn't and maybe it was because Bob never heard this person.
Were they within their rights?
Thank you.
