My friend got fired for a crappy reason

[AMCRambler]

So I was talking to my friend last week and apparently he got canned from his job. It really stinks because he liked the work and was doing well at it. The whole reason he got canned is pretty bizarre.
He worked for a small chimney sweep business, probably about 15 people total. The boss seemed to be a pretty cool guy and got along with my friend quite well. I guess after going to the bosses house for a party or something he found out the boss smokes weed and so does he, so they smoked together. The boss made it clear to him that it was a recreational thing only and that it would not be tolerated on the job as they are usually working at clients houses.
Fast forward to last week. Certain jobs would require the boss, my friend and another tech if the work was big enough to complete. On this particular job, something got screwed up with the installation they were doing and the boss proceeded to bawl out my friend and the other fellow. I guess it wasn't a piece of the work they were doing however but something the boss had done but he proceeded to blame them for it. Later on, my friend found the bosses weed pipe, still warm, in the truck. Apparently boss man had smoked up on the job and it was screwing up his work. My friend, rightly teed off, brings up the whole no drugs on the job policy in a friendly manner with el jefe. El jefe proceeds to yell at him and then tell him he's fired.
Pretty effed up I think, but this guy owns the business so he can fire him if he wants. Doesn't seem like a valid reason for dismissal to me. Does he have any recourse? He doesn't really want his job back, but this was the worst time for him to be unemployed. The week before he just got t-boned and his car was totalled. So he needs to buy a new vehicle and now this.

Cliffs:
1. Friend catches the boss smoking weed on the job.
2. Boss fires him for bringing this to his attention.

 

[sao123]

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
So I was talking to my friend last week and apparently he got canned from his job. It really stinks because he liked the work and was doing well at it. The whole reason he got canned is pretty bizarre.
He worked for a small chimney sweep business, probably about 15 people total. The boss seemed to be a pretty cool guy and got along with my friend quite well. I guess after going to the bosses house for a party or something he found out the boss smokes weed and so does he, so they smoked together. The boss made it clear to him that it was a recreational thing only and that it would not be tolerated on the job as they are usually working at clients houses.
Fast forward to last week. Certain jobs would require the boss, my friend and another tech if the work was big enough to complete. On this particular job, something got screwed up with the installation they were doing and the boss proceeded to bawl out my friend and the other fellow. I guess it wasn't a piece of the work they were doing however but something the boss had done but he proceeded to blame them for it. Later on, my friend found the bosses weed pipe, still warm, in the truck. Apparently boss man had smoked up on the job and it was screwing up his work. My friend, rightly teed off, brings up the whole no drugs on the job policy in a friendly manner with el jefe. El jefe proceeds to yell at him and then tell him he's fired.
Pretty effed up I think, but this guy owns the business so he can fire him if he wants. Doesn't seem like a valid reason for dismissal to me. Does he have any recourse? He doesn't really want his job back, but this was the worst time for him to be unemployed. The week before he just got t-boned and his car was totalled. So he needs to buy a new vehicle and now this.

Call police on boss to catch him with paraphenilia...
/revenge

 

[Jeeebus]

Calling the boss out on his hypocrisy = not a good idea.

 

[KLin]

Q: Can an employee be fired without due cause?

A: Yes. New York State is an "employment-at-will," state. Without a contract restricting termination (such as a collective bargaining agreement) an employer has the right to discharge an employee at any time for any reason. This also protects the employee's right to resign. An employer may fire an employee for "no reason" - or even for a reason that might seem arbitrary and unfair -- and the employee is equally free to quit at any time without being required to explain or defend that decision.
There are a few exceptions to "employment-at-will." The most significant of these are laws, enforced by the New York State Division of Human Rights, which prohibit discrimination based upon race, creed, national origin, age, handicap, gender, sexual orientation or marital status. For additional information about how the New York State Division of Human Rights proceeds against unlawful forms of discrimination, go to:

http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workerprotection/laborstandards/faq.shtm

That's if your friend lives in the same state as you do.

 

[Mr Incognito]

That was a no win situation right there. It was more than a crappy reason to get fired but he should have known that something like this would happen.

 

[Steve]

Paragraphs = good idea.

 

[ForumMaster]

while i agree with you that the boss was wrong to fire your friend, your friend shouldn't have mentioned it.

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: Jeeebus
Calling the boss out on his hypocrisy = not a good idea.

My thoughts exactly. What did he hope to gain by doing that?

 

[Sphexi]

Let people know why he got fired, specifically customers. If that's how the guy runs his business, I wouldn't want him working for me. I have no problem with people getting high now and then, or every day even. But if they're coming to my house and getting paid to do work, they better be sober while they do it.

 

[AMDZen]

Yea I feel for your friend, but he should of expected it for calling your boss out like that.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
while i agree with you that the boss was wrong to fire your friend, your friend shouldn't have mentioned it.

meh, why not?

The boss made it clear to him that it was a recreational thing only and that it would not be tolerated on the job as they are usually working at clients houses.

if its not tolerated, its not tolerated. shouldn't he be setting the example?

 

[j00fek]

i would kick the shat out of my old boss for that

 

[DBL]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
while i agree with you that the boss was wrong to fire your friend, your friend shouldn't have mentioned it.

meh, why not?

to avoid being fired?

 

[allisolm]

I guess after going to the bosses house for a party or something he found out the boss smokes weed and so does he, so they smoked together.

He was doomed from this point on.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: DBL

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
while i agree with you that the boss was wrong to fire your friend, your friend shouldn't have mentioned it.

meh, why not?

to avoid being fired?

why didn't you quote the rest of my post?

 

[Fenixgoon]

shouldn't your buddy have some sort of legal recourse?

 

[jupiter57]

Live and learn.
Bet he won't do THAT again!
Or will he?

 

[Jeeebus]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
shouldn't your buddy have some sort of legal recourse?

Indeed. The Second Amendment, aside from guaranteeing a Caucasian President, also states that the people shalt not be fired for telling their boss to ease up on the reefer. Hold on, let me find the Wiki link.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Jeeebus

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
shouldn't your buddy have some sort of legal recourse?

Indeed. The Second Amendment, aside from guaranteeing a Caucasian President, also states that the people shalt not be fired for telling their boss to ease up on the reefer. Hold on, let me find the Wiki link.

lol

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Plainly put your friend screwed up! He got pissed that the boss(owner) bawled him out for something he didn't think he was responsible for, and so he jumps the guy for something he assumes the boss(owner) did contrary to his stated policies. This is a case of insubordination plain and simple and has nothing to do with the weed.

1. The owner of the company can do whatever the hell he wants including changing policy at a moments notice, or holding his employees to different rules than he applies to himself.
2. He can fire anybody, anytime for what ever reason he wishes.

Is the owner messed up? yeah. Is he an arse for handling it this way? probably. But the bottom line is he owns the company and your buddy crossed the line when he called him out like that.

And ROFL at the "found the warm pipe in his truck" line

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: AMCRambler
So I was talking to my friend last week and apparently he got canned from his job. It really stinks because he liked the work and was doing well at it. The whole reason he got canned is pretty bizarre.
He worked for a small chimney sweep business, probably about 15 people total. The boss seemed to be a pretty cool guy and got along with my friend quite well. I guess after going to the bosses house for a party or something he found out the boss smokes weed and so does he, so they smoked together. The boss made it clear to him that it was a recreational thing only and that it would not be tolerated on the job as they are usually working at clients houses.
Fast forward to last week. Certain jobs would require the boss, my friend and another tech if the work was big enough to complete. On this particular job, something got screwed up with the installation they were doing and the boss proceeded to bawl out my friend and the other fellow. I guess it wasn't a piece of the work they were doing however but something the boss had done but he proceeded to blame them for it. Later on, my friend found the bosses weed pipe, still warm, in the truck. Apparently boss man had smoked up on the job and it was screwing up his work. My friend, rightly teed off, brings up the whole no drugs on the job policy in a friendly manner with el jefe. El jefe proceeds to yell at him and then tell him he's fired.
Pretty effed up I think, but this guy owns the business so he can fire him if he wants. Doesn't seem like a valid reason for dismissal to me. Does he have any recourse? He doesn't really want his job back, but this was the worst time for him to be unemployed. The week before he just got t-boned and his car was totalled. So he needs to buy a new vehicle and now this.

Cliffs:
1. Friend catches the boss smoking weed on the job.
2. Boss fires him for bringing this to his attention.

Thats life. No one said it was fair.

 

[theeedude]

Why would your friend want to work for this stoner boss who uses him as scapegoat.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

Originally posted by: AMDZen
Yea I feel for your friend, but he should of expected it for calling your boss out like that.

No kidding... especially since the boss was already showing the capacity to blame others for problems they had no responsibility for. Your friend was really stupid, and acting emotionally rather than rationally.

 

[axelfox]

at-will work state?

 

[D1gger]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: ForumMaster
while i agree with you that the boss was wrong to fire your friend, your friend shouldn't have mentioned it.

meh, why not?

The boss made it clear to him that it was a recreational thing only and that it would not be tolerated on the job as they are usually working at clients houses.

if its not tolerated, its not tolerated. shouldn't he be setting the example?

You are entirely correct, the boss should be setting the example. But this is a simple case of the golden rule of employment.

"He who has the gold makes the rules."

Not fair ... but true.