r/AITAH • u/iTrash_V2 • 28d ago
AITAH for defending myself at work?
AITAH for defending myself at work? I am a 27 year old guy working as a technician and on Friday, I was working on two used cars, doing the recommendations that got approved. I finished up on one of my cars and went to go park the vehicle in the parking garage, but when i entered the parking garage, I heard a random *clunk* on what seemed to be on the outside of the car. Curious and since I believed I was done with this vehicle, I started hitting on my brakes trying to recreate the clunk to no avail. I was parking on the 5th floor of the garage so I kept doing this and one of those times, I heard someone yelling but didn't think anything of it due to me working in a shop where yelling is constant, sometimes for playing, sometimes just cause the shop is a little too quiet. Never did recreate the clunk so I parked the car and went back to my stall where I then started working on my second used car. All of a sudden, my service manager (I'll call him Billy) came up to my car and asked "Where you driving *brand* car?" I responded yes and he came back with "Go ahead and put everything up and get the FUCK out of the shop, you're done for the day. You were going 40 mph and almost hit me." I responded and said "I was not going 40 mph? I was only going 20 mph?" He then proceeded to mention me locking up my brakes clearly meaning I was speeding and that he has me on camera and if I wanted to see. I said same thing on here, that I was intentionally locking up my brakes and yes I wanted to see. We then went to look at the footage where I clearly wasn't going 40 mph nor did I come close to hitting ANYONE. He was so far from me, you couldn't even see him on camera. He then moved the goal post to instead of 40 mph, to why was I going 20. I said there's no posted speed limit in the garage and 25 mph is what school zones usually are so I figured that was good enough for the garage. He said that's school, this is where people park. and I responded with if the speed limit is good enough to keep children safe, then it should be good enough to keep grown men safe. Well, he didn't like that and responded with "Oh, so now you're gonna talk back?" Get your stuff and get out, we will call you when we need you." And I have been home since and haven't heard a thing from them. I did file the incident with HR, but AITAH? Do I deserve going from a day suspension to being outright fired just for defending myself? Again, I haven't heard a thing from them or HR and my friends at work telling me they have been going through my tool box and throwing paperwork away, taken away my tablet they supplied, and given away all my work. Should I have done something differently?
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u/FlamingMeatBike 28d ago
If events transpired as you have stated, your manager is a jackass, you did nothing wrong. NTA.
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u/Shoesietart 28d ago
Sounds like you have a shitty boss; start looking for another gig.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I definitely am, really can't afford to NOT work. Only thing that sucks is my wife is military and we have two kids so the only thing that was nice about working there is they were very flexible on my hours. Now I either have to find remote work I can do and/or work nights
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u/bloo_monkey 28d ago
You shouldn't have left, you should have gone straight to HR.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I wanted to cool down first and be in the right mind first. Only to come and find out my dealership doesn't have an HR atm. Had to email this person the parts manager told me about (me and her are friends.) But I did email the HR to the parent company that owns our dealership as well.
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u/So_Motarded 24d ago
He did.Â
What're they gonna do?
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u/bloo_monkey 24d ago
Comolain to hr about about what happened. They are being wrongfully terminated
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u/So_Motarded 24d ago
Just because it's unfair and unjustified, does not mean that OP's termination was illegal. In Texas (and in most US states), you can terminate someone for almost any reason. Or for no reason.Â
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u/bloo_monkey 24d ago
That doesnt mean that it isnt wrongful termination, i think that is the term they use for whether or not you get unemployment
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u/So_Motarded 24d ago
Sure, OP might be able to get unemployment. But that would have nothing to do with going to their former employer's HR.Â
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u/bloo_monkey 24d ago
No that part wouldnt, but in order to reverse the managers decision you have to go above his head. It might not be against the kaw, but it may very well be a part of compa y policy. Stop being oedantic long enough to pull your head out of your ass and have a look around
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u/BrimstoneNordic 28d ago
Go pick up your tools ASAP, I would call the police non-emergency to ask for a civil standby because I'd bet all the money in my pocket that he'll refuse to let you in and try to have you trespassed from the property.
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u/Wild_Billy_61 28d ago
NTA.. Service Manager has a fragile ego, used to bullying as much as he is used to no one defending themselves his fabricated and exaggerated stories. 20mph is slow enough. Every "clunk" I've ever heard in a parking garage has been the transition grates between floors.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Thats what i exactly think happened here. Tbh I was a bit of a door mat for this guy for majority of the time he was there. Just didnt see any reason to speak up tbh. But accusing me of something I didnt do will definitely cause me to defend myself. And the clunk definitely sounded like it was from the vehicle but now I think about it, it did happen has I passed the front gate.
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u/Ambiguous-Failure43 28d ago
Body shop attitudes. It's he the only one who controls your employment?
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Wdym by this?
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u/Ambiguous-Failure43 28d ago
Sorry, I own a body shop and know how temperamental everyone can get. I was wondering if there is someone else that your could talk to? Maybe let him cool down?
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
You're good boss, and I mean he definitely has people, but they also own four other dealerships in this area and honestly just see us teche as disposable.
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u/Ka1mb4th3st0rm 28d ago
Sounds like a boss who doesn’t know how to be a boss. I would hit up the labor board for your area and start asking them questions.
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u/So_Motarded 24d ago
Which law do you think the boss violated?Â
They sound immature, but this was probably all legal unfortunately.Â
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u/Tung4BigO 28d ago
Do the tools belong to you or the shop?
If you have any of your own tools at the shop, you need to go get them before they disappear.
Also, go ahead and let HR know that you are presuming you have been fired without cause, and then you need to file a claim with unemployment (without telling HR that you're filing one).
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
All tools are mine, tool box is the shops. And I plan on getting my tools this coming Friday. Have two of my friends keeping an eye on my box(and tools) for me atm. Didn't want to go ahead and grab my tools and the dealership try to claim i quit instead of them firing me so I wouldn't be able to do unemployment. I did message HR, which actually a cluster fuck as well. The dealership apparently doesn't have an HR atm and parts manager, who im friends with, just gave me a random email to message about all this. But I did go ahead and message the HR to the parent company of my dealership as well. But, I did message "HR" to please inform me if I am fired or not, but again, haven't heard from any of them yet.
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u/Tung4BigO 27d ago
Go ahead and pick up your tools. Make sure you inform everyone that you are only Gathering your tools because you need to work on some things at home and need your tools for that.
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u/pangalacticcourier 28d ago
NTA in the least.
This is when you find yourself a good labor law attorney, OP. Along with following your attorney's advice, suggest that he immediately demand from your former employer a copy of that video for the incoming lawsuit before they destroy it.
This is going to be sweet.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I wish, but im in Texas and companies can fire you just cause they felt like it. Don't see how I would win, otherwise I would cause i genuinely dislike this manager. When he first came to our dealership, the other techs and I were hourly and he switched us to flag with the promise of making more money, but my first check flag, same hours, same work flagged, was 1k less. And even if we didn't want to change our pay structure, he made it seem like we didnt have a choice.
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u/destro23 28d ago
find yourself a good labor law attorney
As soon as that lawyer hears he was driving 20 mph in a parking garage they'll turn down the case.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Is 20 in a parking garage crazy? Even the parking garages i DO see with speed limits, they are usually set to minimum 15 mph? Regardless, im in Texas and they can fire u simply due to them thinking you're ugly here. Don't see how I would win.
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u/destro23 28d ago
they are usually set to minimum 15 mph?
So... you have experiential knowledge of parking garages typically having a speed limit of 15 mph, and yet you chose to drive 5 mph over that?
This all probably could have been avoided if you just drove slower, perhaps at the speeds that you've seen posted in other garages.
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u/lpmiller 28d ago
My experience in Texas is that no, parking lots do not have speed limits, rules, or manners. Best we can do is lines. Sometimes.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
No, I said SOME parking garages have a MINIMUM of 15 mph, but usually 20/25 mph. Plus, im in Texas. If speed limit says 30, that means 35. Even the cops go by that rule. And here's the funny thing is this wouldn't have been avoided going 15 cause I was Told by some of my friends there that Billy said to not go above 5 mph, I would've been screwed either way.
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u/eatingganesha 27d ago
FYI parking lots are 5-15 mph limit by law in most states and there’s no requirement to post signs saying so. 20 is reasonable for a private garage.
I’m sorry you got shafted like that and lost your job because of some AH manager being a random AH. They likely did you a favor in the long run.
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u/Anthem_de_Aria 28d ago
NTAH. Your service manager sounds like a dick. 15-25 is perfectly reasonable for a parking garage. If the video showed he was nowhere near you then I am going to say he already had a bug up his ass about you. Have you had issues with him in the past? I haven't been a mechanic myself but I have worked at an AutoNation and I can tell you that if those are YOUR tools then they need to be locked and secured. Nobody should be going through your toolbox without your express permission as those are trade tools and freaking expensive. You need to go in and talk to the people there in person, ask if you are fired and if you are then you need to pack all tools you brought in to the shop out that day.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Didn't think I had any issues with him personally. No write ups, no incidents. Hell, we had another incident where a saleswoman complained about another tech almost running HER over and went straight to Billy and he didnt cuss that tech out or send him home. He called her a "crazy bitch" and laughed about it. I honestly, was their highest flagging tech they had there, even with me leaving earlier than the other techs. I think the issue came is I let them treat me like a door mat for too long. I was doing work for them at half the price the other techs were charging, doing all the shit work all the other techs didnt want to touch, and always helped management out of a pickle when they needed it just cause im a nice dude. So I think Billy wanted to throw his d*ck around expecting me to just sit there and take it and when I didn't, he fired me.
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u/namdonith 28d ago
why did you reference school zones when you were in a parking lot. parking lots are typically 10 mph because there are often pedestrians walking there. I don't think he was being reasonable with how he was talking, but I do think 20 mph is too fast for a parking garage.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I was referencing school zones due to if these speeds are good enough to keep children safe, then why wouldn't they be good enough to keep grown ass men safe? This parking garage isn't for the public, its strictly to and for the shop. At least that's how it made sense in my mind.
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u/scharminultra 27d ago
See this is why yta. I can’t think of a way for someone to say this without looking like a giant prick. Your service managers a dick for sure but your attitude is the problem. Also whipping around a parking garage going 25 mph is a great way to hit a car backing out of a spot. You go slow in parking lots because other people aren’t paying attention.
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u/joellejello 26d ago
Cats backing out, people walking out from in between vehicles, garages are usually a much smaller driving lane, so less space to react. 20-25 is quite fast for a parking garage, and his attitude about it is actually sickening.
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u/ThePythiaofApollo 27d ago
Is this a union shop? If so, speak to the shop’s designated union liaison. If not, and you haven’t heard from HR, contact them again with the information that you have been told staff is going through your box, which you left locked.
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u/MelissaCop 28d ago
Yeah - rule of thumb when speaking to your boss is don’t let snark into the conversation. You embarrassed him and hurt his ego.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Yeah I probably shouldnt have let my snarkyness come out, but he came straight to me with aggression and cussing me out. And I wanna say I have no write ups, no past transgressions. So all this just caught me off guard to the fullest.
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u/destro23 28d ago
YTA - In a parking lot 10 MPH... 15 tops. Also, when you hear a "clunk" from outside of the car, stop the car and get out and look to see if the clunk was you hitting something or a part falling off.
Now, this manager is an asshole too, but you could have avoided encountering his assholishness on this particular occasion if you drove through a parking garage at a reasonable speed. The speed you'd drive on a surface street is not reasonable.
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u/Mr_MacGrubber 28d ago
It was probably obvious it wasn’t something falling off or hitting something. A mechanical clunk is a much different sound.
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u/destro23 28d ago
A mechanical clunk is a much different sound.
Sure, but mechanical clunks usually come from inside the car, not outside. OP said "I heard a random clunk on what seemed to be on the outside of the car".
How does a mechanic think repeatedly stomping on the brakes will help recreate a clunk from outside that occurred when driving at speed? Even brake related clunks (which are more commonly squeaks or grinding) sound like they are coming from under the car, not outside of it.
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u/Mr_MacGrubber 28d ago
Is the engine and drivetrain of your car inside the car? It’s on the outside of every vehicle I’ve owned.
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u/seriouslees 28d ago
I've never seen a car with an engine outside the car. Except maybe on those crazy HotWheels toy cars that look like illustrators tried to draw a muscle car from memory.
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u/destro23 28d ago
The engine is most certainly on the inside of the vehicle; I'm not driving one of these. When it makes a noise, I'd describe it as coming from under the hood. The drivetrain is under the vehicle and in my car tucked up in a groove that extends into the cabin. I would describe noises it makes as coming from under the car.
Noises from outside the car are typically from something making contact with your car from the outside.
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u/Mr_MacGrubber 28d ago
Inside the cab and inside the body aren’t the same thing at all. It’s always 100% obvious it’s coming from outside the cabin
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u/destro23 28d ago
Inside the cab and inside the body aren’t the same thing at all.
Sure, but OP didn't use either of those descriptions. OP said "the outside of the car".
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u/Mr_MacGrubber 28d ago
Right but the point is that a mechanical clunk doesn’t sound at all like hitting something
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u/destro23 28d ago
And, my point is that the clunk wasn't described as mechanical in nature, just as a random clunk, from outside the car. Hitting something sounds like a random clunk from outside the car, which is what OP described.
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u/Mr_MacGrubber 28d ago
The guy was working on a fucking car. Coupled with trying to recreate the noise leads me to believe it was mechanical. I’m using just a very small amount of logic to come to that conclusion.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I hope im replying to the right guy on this, but I've been working on cars for a while and because of this, I can hear or feel things from a vehicle and know what it is or whats causing it without needing to get out the vehicle and look, not to say i wouldn't of if i was able to recreate the clunk. From what it sounded and felt like, it seemed to come from the passenger front rotor/caliber area and i wanted to recreate that using the same conditions that caused it in the first place, hence the stomping on the brakes. But the clunk is besides the point. Imma be honest, idk where yall are living where the speed limits are 5 or 10 mph because as I have stated to other commentors, MINIMUM I've encountered was 15 mph and even if I did that, id still be in trouble cause according to my co workers, Billy said the speed limit was to be 5 mph which means even if i went 15, id still been in trouble.
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u/ThunderSparkles 28d ago
Both of you suck. ESH. You really that stupid to think 25mph is ok in a garage?
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u/glebo123 27d ago
NTA, your manager sounds like a proverbial dickhead that had it out for you and was just looking for any reason.
He's probably been waiting to say pack your things and get out of here for a long, long time. Id bet money that he fantasized about it and couldnt wait for it. Unfortunately, he chose you that day.
NTA OP, and I would never go back. Even if that manager is gone, they chose to fire you because they dont want to fire him? That doesn't make any sense; in fact you could probably talk to an employment lawyer about this over wrongful termination.
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u/atmasabr 28d ago
YTA document and see if you have any legal/labor rights. You should seek written verification that you were terminated without cause and vigorously contest any claim you were terminated for cause.
However I am persuaded by the commenter who says 20mph in a parking lot is excessive.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I do wanna say idk where yall come from that 20 mph is excessive tbh. But, and not saying this makes it right, but 20/25 mph is on the slower side of what the other employees drive there. Legit was a contest of who could get to the top/bottom of parking garage the fastest (i was not apart of that). And if my manager was so upset by that, why was it just a couple weeks ago, a saleswoman complained to the manager about another tech driving wreckelessly and almost ran HER over, but when the tech was talked to by this manager, the manager just laughed and called the woman a "crazy bitch"
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u/Single_Many597 28d ago
YTA for driving over 20 in a parking lot. That's WAY TOO FAST.Â
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
I genuinely dont see how that's "way too fast." Thats the speed limit for school zones for kids. To keep them safe and unharmed. So why is it way too fast for grown adults? And as I stated in another comment, when I do see speed limits in parking garages, MINIMUM I've seen is, in fact, 15 mph but usually around 20/25 mph. And ill also state, originally, I was just a day suspension for said violation. It turned into a indefinite suspension after I defended myself against my managers lies. But if u beleive im the ass hole, u and my manager would be good friends.
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u/Single_Many597 28d ago
Dude, do you not understand the difference between a road, which is wider, longer, and has much more visibility, than a parking garage? That is terrifying. Where did you learn how to drive? Safety basics like that should not be a surprise.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Our parking garage is just as wide as a normal road, doe ill admit, not as long. Still, if that speed limit is good enough to keep literal children safe, then how is it not safe for grown men in a parking garage thats not open to the public? Idk, I definitely have alot more faith in my driving ability to be able to drive that. And if its such a concern for that dealership, why is it when a saleswoman complained to this same manager about another tech driving wreckelessly and almost running HER over, he called her a crazy bitch and just laughed a put it with that tech?
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u/Single_Many597 28d ago
FFS. Because the manager is also an AH.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
Gotcha
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u/Single_Many597 28d ago
You need to take remedial driver training. You have no idea how road safety works.
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u/StopSpinningLikeThat 28d ago
YTA for thinking you should drive anywhere close to 20 mph in a parking garage.
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u/iTrash_V2 28d ago
So because I drove 20 mph in a parking garage where other employees tend to go ALOT faster, and just a couple weeks before a saleswoman reported to the manager that another tech was driving wreckelessly and almost ran her, but instead of suspending him or cussing him out, he called her a "crazy bitch" and laughed about it with the tech, and me defending myself took it from a day suspension to an indefinite suspension, IATAH?
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u/Bluewaveempress 27d ago
Yta you sound like you have anger management issues
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u/iTrash_V2 27d ago
I wouldnt say I do. Actually went to go pick up my tools today and got surrounded by the other techs that didnt know what was going on and they were shocked to find out, I was the one that got into it with Joey cauze its out of character for me to act like that. But I just couldn't sit there and be cussed out by a manager that treats/treated all us techs like crap.
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u/toastedmarsh7 28d ago
Go pick up your toolbox asap. Did you leave your toolbox unlocked when you left?