I worked for Ralphs Grocery Company and this is what it was like for me. For those of you who think your employer is going to stand behind you should something go wrong "forget it". They are not going to help you get them with "just cause". When ever I had an issue and went through the steps, "the Ralphs steps", fill out this form, send it first to this person and so on. It always came back to me with the same response, "our investigation could not substantiate the nature and basis of your claim as set forth in your notice. AS a result, we are considering the matter to be closed". I was wronged at work and I did everything I was made to do, to be heard, and to have the person/persons whom wronged me punished. The "STORE" wanted to keep everything quiet, "sweep it under the carpet". I had to hire a lawyer, I was deposed, I had others deposed. Then the arbitration, ending arguments, lastly the decision "the award". The ending arguments had to be in by 10/31/12, I learned of the award settlement 3/6/13. In all this case consumed six years, three months and sixteen days of my life. Why so long you ask? For the first whole year my attorney did nothing with the case. Another year was lost because I had no money to give my attorney, and he would not do anything with out having the money up front even though I retained him on a "contingency basis". Another year was lost because the defendants attorney chose to have a baby. What do you do when the person or persons that are appointed to make your wrong a right, fail to do so? I went by way of the "legal system", and now I hope to have the public hear me, if for nothing else but to educate them. In March 2005 I was hired on at Ralph Grocery Company to work in their Pharmacy department. The store was #195 on Washington in La Quinta California. I was asked to report to the corporate office in Compton for two days of training. During the training I was given a binder/employee handbook. In with all these papers was something relating to arbitration and I was asked to place my initials in the provided space, agreeing to arbitration sould something happen to me while at work. In November 2006 something did happen to me while I was working. A customer came over to me in the pharmacy department, she said she needed a prescription filled, but that it would come up as an early fill. The lady added she was going on a trip and she didnot want to run out of her prescription while gone. I looked up her prescription and it showed no refills remaining, she said yes it does and that I was looking up the wrong prescription. I told her that their was no other prescription, with this same drug name in her profile. She then looked down at the other end of the counter and headed for the man standing their. This was the pharmacist on duty, the customer said to the pharmacist "don`t tell me I am not going to get my prescription because that is what he said". I turned to the pharmacist and said "I never said that", and with that the pharmacist said to me "what have I told you about interrupting me when I am speaking to a customer". The pharmacist then told me that I was about to get his FIST IN MY FACE, the customer then said "I`m sorry, I didnot mean to start a fight"! The customer then left the store, and as the customer was leaving the pharmacist begans to yell "WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE"? "WHO IS IN CHARGE HERE"?, I then retreated over to a corner of the pharmacy, out of site of the pharmacist. After a short while the pharmacist then would come to me and state, "IN THE FIRST PLACE, WHEN THE CUSTOMER CAME OVER TO SPEAK TO ME YOU SHOULD NOT OF BEEN LISTENING"!, then he would go back to what he was doing and return right away to say, "AND IN THE SECOND PLACE, SHE SAID THAT SHE BROUGHT IN A PRESCRIPTION AND WE LOST IT, THAT MAKES IT OUR PROBLEM"!, he then went back to what he was doing and returned right away to say, "AND THE THIRD THING, WHEN I TELL YOU THAT I AM GOING TO PUNCH YOU IN THE FACE, YOU BETTER BELIEVE I AM GOING TO PUNCH YOU IN YOUR FACE"! I then collected my things and left the pharmacy to report this to the store director. This same employee was repremanded a few months earlier for going off on another co-worker, the pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy department. Both pharmacist had a heated argument, right there in the pharmacy department, everyone could here, customers ect. The pharmacist that went after me, told the pharmacist in charge, "WHY DON`T WE GO OUT INTO THE PARKING LOT TO SETTLE THIS"? It was all about having to work 15 minutes over time. I said that I would not let this pharmacist get away with this and because I choose not to keep quiet, I became an "out sider" and needed to be disposed of and was. I was transferred out of the store with in days, no sooner was I working at my new location, I was placed on suspension and after a few weeks, I was terminated. My "UNION", what a joke that is, they did nothing to help me. Keep in mind also, that all the "WITNESSES" and "DEFENDANTS" had been and still are working for Ralphs. The witness that was on duty with me when the pharmacist attacked me, was less then forth right with the facts, she said that I went after the pharmacist. She denied ever stating to me and to the Pharmacist in charge that because I was not married and did not have children I should work most evenings and weekends. Never prior to this, was I ever "written up" for any wrong doing. I produced in court glowing evaluations for several years. I was the PLAINTIFF, I filed the complaint, the DEFENDANTS attorney, turned the tables, making me out a "bad guy", doing all she could to assassinate my character. I tell you people like her don`t care anything about humanity, she knew the kind of people she was dealing with. With her it was only about winning at all costs and making a name for herself, not the truth. Their are many people still that know the truth, the pharmacist that attacked me knows the truth, and I would bet that his wife also knows the truth, the technician that was working with me that day and her family, the customer with the prescription issue and perhaps her husband, son, daughter, friends or neighbors, co-workers, the pharmacist in charge then in 2006, knows alot of things, people love to talk. I happen to also know that the store director, the pharmacist, and the technician, all of whom was working with me at store 195 in LaQuinta are all together working for Ralphs at the store on Washington in Bermuda Dunes, birds of a feather, flock together. Also with regard to Union 1167, I and my lawyer was told durning the arbitration that had the Union kept the appointment with Ralphs in the early part of 2007, I probably would of been put back to work. Ralphs did present to me at separate times two offers of settlement, one was for $10,000.00, and the other was that I was not to sue them, and that they would put in my file that it was a "willful quit", (stating for the purpose of finding new employment), and not a termination. Needless to say I declined both. When this happened to me I lost my income, I went 50,000.00 into debt, debt I still have. I lost my good credit, I lost my home to foreclosure. The country went to war, the economy tanked. For every job opening their was 200 people appling for it. I had to file bankruptcy. I had to pay my attorney thousands of dollars that I didnot have. If I could do some things over again, it would be these. Say no to arbitration, never ever agree to arbitration, your odds are much greater with having 12 people deciding your fate rather than 1 person. Take your time in getting a attorney, if you feel anxious or anxiety call a family member or friend to help you, get someone elses in-put. If it is work related, get an attorney that specializes in employment law. Get a law firm with a number of lawyers, not a firm with a lawyer, and a firm that is financially secure, because you don`t want anything held up because of money or because the one man law firm is backed up. If you agree to a contingency basis, you sould not have to be dishing out thousands of dollars. To have someone deposed costs money, an investigator, or a financial analysis, this way you get the best legal defense. Get a lawyer close to your to your home, not 10 hours away. If something happens to you at work, don`t expect that the store or your company is going to do the right thing, call the police have them make out a report, get it all right from the begining. If you belong to a Union, before you meet with someone in their office, a supervisor ect., get your union representative, your store manager or supervisor is not going to say to you, call your union representative. Not all union representatives are like the one I had. In this case the arbitrator sided with the defendants, stating that the plaintiff had no basis of his claims.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 23:40:54 +0000
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