Today Alex shares the story of how he was fired two months ago for wearing a Keffiyeh by his employer (Barnes and Noble), the case compiled against him by corporate, and his eventual reinstatement yesterday thanks to the efforts of his Teamsters Union. PLUS: Tony is also almost fired for being corny (wearing his prescription sunglasses to his night job), and Alex EVISCERATES a beloved classic Simpsons moment IMPORTANT: Do not tweet or contact my actual employer. The matter is settled. Thank you to everyone for your support. Listen to this episode by signing up at http://patreon.com/miniondeathcult for $5/month and get 2 bonus episodes a week sent to your podcast app or browser
The worst employee in the world, me, am responsible.
And we're documenting it.
That's right.
Against probably better judgment, we're documenting it.
So this...
It's going to be quite an episode.
Like I, I want to say up top, this is probably going to be the most careful episode of a podcast I've done in my life.
Yeah.
I mean, you have to, you have to treat this episode like you treat the packages you deliver, you know, delicately with lots of care.
Absolutely.
Make sure they're not compromised on the way.
Yeah.
I, I treat every package like it's a high priority item.
Okay.
So I guess we should just start.
Um, this episode is going to be maybe a little meandering.
I don't have, I don't really have any notes.
Um, but again, somehow the, probably the most careful podcast I've ever done.
Uh, today we're of course talking about with my fight and subsequent victory over Barnes and Noble booksellers.
Hell yeah.
Hell yeah.
Suck it, Barnes & Noble.
I went to panel.
I went to grievance panel with, well, no, a termination panel with my Teamsters union, and I got my job back at Barnes & Noble.
So sick.
So sick.
That was like the best, the best text I've received in a really long time.
Was you being like, I'm back, baby.
Barnes & Noble cannot get rid of me.
Yeah, I'm sorry.
I know there was a lot of, there were a lot of people who now are never going to shop at Barnes and Noble again, especially after learning this news.
Um, but I think they did the right thing.
I think, I think we, we all came to the right conclusion.
Uh, if you're totally lost right now, it's because we're kind of referencing an episode that we recorded like two and a half months ago.
That we couldn't release we ended up not being able to release And again, so I'm gonna be very careful with my words here what I'm what I'm going to say is just my recollection of events I do not want anybody to get mad at UPS, my employer.
I do not want you to contact UPS on my behalf.
Please do not do that.
It would not be good for me.
Nope.
And I wanna say that I am happy with what transpired.
I think justice was served, and I have no ill will towards the company, and especially not my direct management team, who I have spoken about occasionally on this show as having a good relationship with, and I still do.
Yeah, I mean, more than anything, I mean, would you consider this a union victory?
Oh, absolutely.
Absolutely.
I mean, it's a victory for everybody.
Yeah.
But yeah, especially the union.
OK, so first of all, I want to say thanks to Ani for supporting me, being there for me for the last two and a half months.
I want to say, obviously, like we just said, thank you to my union who got me my job back.
Well, I would never like actually lost my job.
I just, um, how would you describe it?
Like... Weren't allowed to work for a long time?
The company wanted to fire me and did fire me, but technically couldn't fire me until we went to panel.
Yeah.
So I was like, I was for all intents and purposes fired, uh, not collecting a paycheck.
So thank you.
Thank you to the Teamsters for helping me get my job back with back pay, by the way.
Which I desperately need.
Which sucks because that totally destroys the narrative I was trying to paint of you as being a deadbeat boyfriend who is riding on the coattails of his girlfriend who is the breadwinner taking care of you and making sure that you can still live your life while you're this unemployed loser.
Um, so I will say, Ani did just have knee surgery, and I did take care of her for three months.
Uh, so... Oh, okay, so you're saying she owed you one?
Yes.
Okay, alright, that's how this works.
That's actually why I got fired.
I get to be baby now.
You know, actually, this was all planned, just to get babied for a little while by sweet, sweet Ani.
Dude, the deadbeat boyfriend allegations, like, the listener has no idea.
No, we're not going to talk about what what what I did with my three months off.
I had prior engagements that I had kind of already spent.
Money on, including new windows for my rotten rear wall of my house.
So I had custom windows that I couldn't return.
They were they were, you know, again, among one of the most expensive things I've ever paid money for because they're before big windows.
It's going to be like it's going to be like a nice kind of greenhouse type room.
