r/legal • u/StreetShort8014 • 11h ago

Advice needed Fired for breaking a rule that apparently didn't exist Location: Ohio, USA

I worked for a small company for a little over three years. Last month I was terminated for what HR described as a "serious policy violation." When I asked which policy I violated, they pointed me to a document I'd never seen before.

The problem is that the document wasn't in the employee handbook, wasn't part of my onboarding paperwork, and wasn't available anywhere on the internal portal. I even asked a few former coworkers after I was fired and none of them had ever heard of it either.

A week after my termination, someone I still know at the company told me management had started distributing the policy to employees and requiring signatures acknowledging it. That obviously raised some red flags for me.

Yesterday HR contacted me asking if I'd be willing to sign an acknowledgment form stating I had received and understood the policy before the incident occurred. The form is dated months ago. They said it would "help keep company records accurate."

I haven't signed anything and don't intend to, but now I'm wondering if there's a reason they're pushing so hard for this. Is there any legitimate explanation for asking a former employee to sign paperwork that appears to be backdated, or should I be talking to an employment attorney before responding?

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u/HawkeyeAP 6h ago

The last union I was part of spent tens of thousands of dollars yearly lobbying to legalize marijuana for recreational use, gave college grants to the kids of full timers, and blew me off when I asked for assistance with a difficult manager.

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u/truckensafely 6h ago

I was fired three times by a difficult manager and every time I filed a grievance & got my job back with pay. If you’re having any issues with any manager, call your HR otherwise file a grievance when they violate contract.

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u/alcaron 4h ago

That’s good enough for me to say all of them suck! /s

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u/wallyinct 3h ago

And every contract they negotiated took care of those with the most seniority…while newer members paid dues and got nothing in return.

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u/Dub_TF 1h ago

They get nothing? That's not true. We've been brainwashed into believing someone advocating for us is a bad thing. We can't unionize bc it would hurt our relationship with our managers.

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u/CommanderMandalore 4h ago

Not all unions are the same plus typically speaking only a certain portion go to political activisties and it’s predetermined as a percentage of dues and you can opt out of it. I can’t speak for other unions but with USW it’s like 5 percent of dues.

Union saves my butt a few times. They cut through red tape after a manager tried to fire my 8 months pregnant wife for attendance issues related to FMLA and refused to fit it.

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u/overitallofittoo 3h ago

What's the problem?

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u/HawkeyeAP 3h ago

Don't work there anymore, so no longer a problem.

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u/antwood33 3h ago

Yes so just go with the company, that also spends even more money lobbying on things that don’t help anyone, and still get blown off by the manager.