I feel unemployed
@poohandchocolate (348)
United States
January 15, 2007 4:09pm CST
I work at See's, and we have a messed up district manager. We are required to choose 3 shops to work at. On my recent availability sheet I let him know I only need Thursdays off this quarter for school. He did not schedule me this week or next week. I am 68 hours away from getting my next raise and I am getting further away from getting that raise because I'm not working. Last quarter I needed Wednesdays and Fridays off for school and he still gave me hours, why is it hard to find me hours now when I only need ONE day off a week, it's not even a weekend, and I don't ask for certain hours or anything. I spoke to him and it seems he just does whats easy for him. If you don't fit the schedule he makes, it goes to someone else. Shops call you in if someone calls in sick or anything, but I don't want to just wait around for calls to get hours. I feel like I'm out of work because I'm not getting any hours. I feel he may be racist against me because I'm from the middle east. Should I make this an issue and speak to our union or am I over thinking it?
5 people like this
22 responses
@Sawsen (793)
• United States
15 Jan 07
I think you should report it to the union. It's like you're practically unemployed if he's refusing to put you in the schedule. I don't think you're the one making it into an issue, I think he's the one, because he's purposely choosing not to give you hours. If I were you, I would call the union immediately and let them know what's going on, because unless you don't get this matter resolved, he is going to feel like he can keep on doing this to you.
@hockeygal4ever (10021)
• United States
28 Jan 07
Sounds like he's just an inconsiderate idiot!
1 person likes this
@tanaclark (570)
• United States
16 Jan 07
I would talk to the union about not getting any hours. If you are hired as full time you are required to have a certain amont of hours a week. If he wont listen to you when you talk to him than go to his boss and talk to them. Someone will listen. Hope you get it all worked out.
1 person likes this
@anishjacobm (197)
• India
16 Jan 07
Well u can try changing the day on which u want an off. and if that dosent work u definitly must speak to the union
@Missyella (27)
• Romania
16 Jan 07
maybe your boss does actually have a grudge against you, racism or not, and by not giving you any work you'll feel you get better chances elsewhere, and you'll quit. You should report this to the union or someone who can be a fair judge to this matter.
@banta78 (4326)
• India
16 Jan 07
I think you should try to talk to the manager first and explain your grievances to him that he should address your concerns. And if fails to deliver then you should definately talk to the union and complain to them about how unfair treatment you have been meted out with by your manager. And hopefully they could take the matter up with higher authorities and your concerens get addressed. And then after it is resolved try to have good working relationship with everyone in office including the manager so nobody targets you unfairly and you get fair treatment at work. good luck.
1 person likes this
@Lemongrass18 (313)
• Singapore
16 Jan 07
You can never win an argument with a boss thus its best you seek help from your union. However, if you could speak with your boss one more time that may help. Have you consider looking around for another job? The economy has picked up thus job should be readily available if you're not too fussy about it.
1 person likes this
@mzbubblie (3839)
• United States
16 Jan 07
Yes resport it to your union, because he's don't seem to be very fair to you. To take away more days then what you requested is just a sign of poor management. I work for a corporation and some management get on their "power trips" meaning they do stupid stuff just so you are miserable. Being that I'm in the union we are protected from such. Talk to a union steward and see what can be done. Being I don't know your contract book. Even try reading through your contract book and see what is valid and what is not. HOpefully that will give him a wake up call...good luck to you
1 person likes this
@pradesh13 (287)
• India
16 Jan 07
This is really a Worst Situation. I had experienced a similar thing but it was not as severe as you. I could not get a leave for 21 days and I left the job. If you are feeling stigma because of your race you should definately speak out and also should take legal help.
1 person likes this
@xiaodongpan19831110 (67)
• China
16 Jan 07
Stop keeping silence! just speak to your union, you should let your boss know that you are not the sheep, you should consider some way to ravel out.
1 person likes this
@harishyeshasvi (327)
• India
16 Jan 07
you enjoy working forgetting all worries, you will definitely succeed
1 person likes this
@missybal (4490)
• United States
16 Jan 07
I think you should speak to your union however I do not think it has to do with your race if he did give you hours in the past. I think it will hurt you to say he is doing this for rasict reasons. I think that the schedules he get he just takes who ever fits it the best and he needs to start looking for a place for you. It seems very odd to me that he is unable to place you with only taking Thursdays off and for school of all things. Have your union put a push on him, but the issue of racist is a touchy subject that you do not want to bring up unless he has made some kind of remark that is racist. Don't ever accuse someone of this unless you are sure that is the reason. That is coming from a heinz 57. I'm as mixed an ethnic background as you can get and I look more native american then anything else and have gotton a bit of different treatment because of it, but hey you will alway run into that. Good luck, I hope things get better for you.
1 person likes this
@Desdemona (1301)
• Canada
16 Jan 07
I think you underestimate management and the way they conduct themselves.
Truly there is something your leaving out of this story. Maybe it was something you might have done in the past? Maybe you requested a week off at a bad time, or would not take someones shift, or a poor sales associate, or... I could go on for ages here. Anyways, don't cry discrimination unless you have some serious evidence. You will not only loose even more hours, you will be depised by most of the management team in this company.
What kind of asset are you to this company anyways? Sorry to be harse, but the reality of companies now are "stay on the bus or get off". Plain and simple, there is always someone that can replace you.
Enough said and best of luck!
@Sawsen (793)
• United States
16 Jan 07
How come it's always the employees that are to blame? I read the discussion and nothing seemed missing to me. So what you're saying is she should basically put up with the bad treatment so she wont lose her job? It's like Rosa Parks having to sit in the back of the bus just so she wont be harassed. I think you got to put a stop to this treatment before it gets out of hand, or else you will get walked over all the time.
@western_valleygirl (1363)
• United States
16 Jan 07
Desdemona, I am a business major, and the one thing we are tought in management, is that if your employees are unhappy, and there is something bothering them, it should be dealt with immediately, or you are going to end up with bigger problems, like dissatisfied customers. In my experience, I have gone places, to like restaurants and stores, where the employees do a lousy job, because of the management. She has the right to ask why she is being treated unfairly and to get better hours. There are federal laws that the manager has to follow, and then, because she is in a Union, there are union laws. You are wrong in many of the things you say, only because they are so general and broad...the hardest thing to find, is a good manager, lol...especially because they are uneducated and untrained, they get their job from seniority, instead of having a BA or MA in business management. If you are a business major, you would kmow this also. My management professor tried to get so many people interested in majoring in management, but nobody wanted to. Everyone had other concentrations, like accounting, business law and economics (like myself), and even real estate. No one liked management, especially since "anyone" can become a manager.
2 people like this
@Noxmorexlies (739)
• United States
16 Jan 07
Defiantely report it, I don't think he is being fair and whether he is being racist or not he is indeed being unfair and doesn't seem to care whatsoever about anyone else. Best of luck I hope you get this figured out.
1 person likes this
@cwgrlsarefun (1581)
• United States
16 Jan 07
Since you say that you have spoken to him about this and feel that it is not important to him then yes you should report him. Also if you really feel that he is being racist then I would for sure say something. It should not be a problem when only requesting one day off a week, he still has six other days to work with. Go ahead and go to his boss and see what you can get done.
@western_valleygirl (1363)
• United States
16 Jan 07
You should get this matter resolved, if you want to get a better schedule in the future. The terrible thing is that it may be discrimination against you, becauase you are from the middle east, and so he might want you to get fed up and quit. He probably thinks that you are willing to accept anything and will not speak up. Furthermore, even if it is not discrimination, you are not being treated fairly in general. I used to complain to my manager if I felt that I was not getting any hours, or enough to be able to pay all my bills. Then, my managers would try to make accomadations for me.
1 person likes this
