Complaint Review: Lowe's Home Improvement - Ft. Wayne Indiana

Christopher It sounds like some funny stuff was going down and you weren't aware of it. After three class B write ups, you can be terminated. However, in your case, it sounds like 2 and 2 didn't add up so accurately. You had a final class B write up on 08/20/01 that was valid for 60 days until 10/21/01 which would of lead to a disciplinary action up to and including termination if in fact you breached your notice within that period. Class B write ups last for 180 days, not 60 days. The managers first of all misrepresented information to you regarding the write up, which falls under falsification of company documents, an integrity violation which is very serious. Maybe the managers in the store in Ft. Wayne, Indiana are aware but they did a "bait and switch" on you, which is illegal. You should have carefully read the terms and conditions of your write up before signing it. I'm not sure how far you would have gotten but you could of tried asking for a copy for your personal records. I'm also aware that employees have a right to refuse to do a job which he/she feels is unsafe and would cause a danger to him/her and the surrounding customers. Safety always wins out in all circumstances. I had a co worker in a New Jersey Lowe's try the same thing, lifting 50 lb 5 gallon paint cans and carrying it on a ladder to stock on an over head and one of the cans actually fell out his hand and spilled. You have made a smart decision when you got a certified co-worker to use an order picker to put those cans away while you spotted him/her. If you were breaching your condition of your write up, why didn't the manager fire you on 1/23/02 instead of 1/28/02 at 7:12pm. The time system updates on the hour and the mangers get the reports or can access the attendance records on an hour to hour basis. They waited until you refused they're demand to put way the paint cans to fire you. They wanted the assignment done at 7:00pm and you did it 12 after 7, but you did it the proper way. Between that time, they have put together a tag team to fire you. My friend, they got you for "insubordination." Are you, or where you aware of the family leave act of 1993. You are entitled to take as many days off as possible to straighten out the situation with your girlfriend/wife and child. You were entitled to compensation up to a week due to the death of an immediate family member, which was your son. The company had no right to hold you accountable for that situation. As far as transportation goes, this is where you were at fault. Your girlfriends mother brought you to work late on a couple of occasions. It was enough for them to not smile at it but not to go as far as firing you. It sounds like to me that some manager somewhere in that team badly wanted to get rid of you for god knows what and he/she/they were using your tardiness and the insubordination as ammunition to pull off their game. You could of attempted to appear to cooperate to get reinstated, but that may not get too far. You don't have many legs standing in your favor, sadly this is true. Just cut your losses and move on, if you haven't done that by now. And good luck to you. Jason

Sorry for your loss, but as an ex-employee I have always found Lowe's to be unusually fair on their attendance policy, as well as going to fair lengths to assure safety. I am woman, I had moved rolls of carpet in excess of 300lbs, lifted 50-60 castlewall blocks and other things in my time with the company. I NEVER was asked to do anything dangerous. As for power equipment certification, that is something that all employees who have a drivers license are required to have, at least that was my experience with the company. 5 gallons of paint is not that heavy, it is part of the job. As Jim stated, when you are hired, even when you fill out an application, it states that you MUST be able to lift 50 pounds or more. That is not the company's fault, that is your fault. If you cannot handle that, it is not their fault, it is a job requirement. Without a doctors note stating you cannot lift that much, you are expected to do so. Technically, the attendance policy states that you cannot miss more than 6 days a year, have more than 10 days consecutive in a row off for vacation, or have more than 3 days off for sickness without a doctor's note. That is the company-wide policy.

A) Why were you on your final notice? You're given 2-3 chances before it goes to a final so I don't understand where the injustice occured. B) You felt that carrying a 5-gallon bucket would endanger your life. Myself, my male associates, and my FEMALE associates have never had a problem taking 5G bkts up or down a ladder even though they are heavy and the ladder is fairly narrow. When you were hired didn't you read your job description during orientation? Must be able to lift 50 pounds. I'm sorry about your girlfriend, but don't be angry at Lowe's because they found a way to get rid of someone who was obviously not working out (e.g. Final Notice).