Fired for charging EV at work!

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quake

Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2016
Messages
7
Hopefully this is the right category.

So I had a new job that was unfortunately 80 highway miles from my home and my Leaf is at 10 bars capacity so I did not have enough range to get back home after work. So even during training I asked my supervisor about charging my car and of course no one ever got back to me. So I asked my trainer and he said it's fine to charge at the outlet in the parking lot. So I charged for a few weeks, totally out of the way and no one even noticed, or so I thought. Then they said to stop charging, which I immediately did. This was a few weeks ago so I forgot about the matter. Then out of the blue today I'm told to not show up for work tomorrow!

Has anyone heard about a company being so anti-EV, anti-environment, that they actually fire someone for charging, even though I immediately stopped charging when they told me to?

I would be more than happy to get a lawyer involved, if I even have a case. This is in Orlando, Florida so I guess it depends on the local laws here.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, advice, or lawyer recommendations. Thanks in advance!
 
Most places, unless you are claiming discrimination, (and it has to be for a protected class like race, gender, age, disability, and in some places LGBT) you can't do anything. Did they say they were firing you because of the charging incident? Just curious, I don't think it would really matter, anyway. Now if they try to keep you from collecting unemployment, I'd push back hard on that.
 
You are assuming you got fired because you were plugging your car in. If that was the case you would have been let go when they told you to plug your car out.
 
Sounds very suspicious especially the part where you got 80 HW mi on a 10 bar car. I couldn't even get 50.
 
I will agree that even if they told you that the reason you were fired was because you plugged your electric car into their outlet, as mentioned above that is not a protected category. If you relied on a mobility scooter to get around the office or worksite, and that needed to be plugged in at work to be useable, that might be a different story as now they're running afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

While I don't recall anybody else here being fired for doing so (assuming that's the real reason for your termination), I do recall at least one other post where someone got in big trouble at work for plugging in, even though he got verbal permission to do so.

That said, this is yet another reason to get WRITTEN permission from your employer that it is OK to plug in, unless it is a dedicated electric vehicle charging station and it's intended for public use, or for employees' personal vehicles.
 
vin944 said:
Sounds very suspicious especially the part where you got 80 HW mi on a 10 bar car. I couldn't even get 50.
I suspect he meant 80 mi round trip - or 40 mi each way.
 
Do we even know the OP's post is real? When someone is terminated they usually get a reason or ask why.
 
TomT said:
This whole scenario sounds very suspect to me...


If the OP does not contribute in the near future then I may take the thread down. OP, since you are a new poster please participate in your thread to keep it active. Thank you.
 
Firetruck41 said:
I don't know why you would assume your firing had anything to do with plugging your EV in?

I didn't assume anything. They told me it went all the way up to the top.
 
drees said:
vin944 said:
Sounds very suspicious especially the part where you got 80 HW mi on a 10 bar car. I couldn't even get 50.
I suspect he meant 80 mi round trip - or 40 mi each way.

That is correct sorry I was not more clear on that point.
 
EVDRIVER said:
Do we even know the OP's post is real? When someone is terminated they usually get a reason or ask why.

Of course it's real. No reason to make up a story like this. Like I was trying to explain they fired me because I was charging, even though the trainer told me it's fine, and even though I immediately stopped charging when they told me to stop. This could be considered a political issue. Maybe you don't realize Florida is very backwards. Not progressive like California, wish I lived there!
So I was wondering if maybe I have a case of wrongful termination, due to discrimination, of my political beliefs.
Had no idea you would put me under so much weird unnecessary scrutiny. Just wanted some quick advice and maybe a lawyer referral.
I can post the complete details if that helps.
 
It sounds like you're much better off not working for that company. I don't think you have any discrimination case, because it has nothing to do with age, gender, race, or (arguably!) religion. I would move on; you got training and probably got paid for it.

On your way out, I might mention they're firing you over $2.50 in electricity a day. ;)
 
quake said:
Maybe you don't realize Florida is very backwards. Not progressive like California, wish I lived there!
Maybe you don't realize Florida is very backwards.

There I fixed it for you. Kind of unbelievable to someone who lives in California! Glad I don't live there.
 
aarond12 said:
It sounds like you're much better off not working for that company. I don't think you have any discrimination case, because it has nothing to do with age, gender, race, or (arguably!) religion. I would move on; you got training and probably got paid for it.

On your way out, I might mention they're firing you over $2.50 in electricity a day. ;)

Thanks for your support. I worked there almost 2 months. It was just a temp job but still I should have been there until my contract ended at the end of October. I thought it was much less than $2.50 considering commercial electric rates are much less than residential.
 
quake said:
aarond12 said:
It sounds like you're much better off not working for that company. I don't think you have any discrimination case, because it has nothing to do with age, gender, race, or (arguably!) religion. I would move on; you got training and probably got paid for it.

On your way out, I might mention they're firing you over $2.50 in electricity a day. ;)

Thanks for your support. I worked there almost 2 months. It was just a temp job but still I should have been there until my contract ended at the end of October. I thought it was much less than $2.50 considering commercial electric rates are much less than residential.
Correlation does not imply Causation , I think is the take away. It might seem like the reason, but as others have mentioned, firing someone because you told that employee it was ok to charge but later decided not to would have lead to police being involved, theft charges, etc. I think you are better off not working for a business that likes to drop people without reason (I am sure there is a reason, probably related to money, is always the root of any business internal workings).
 
aarond12 said:
It sounds like you're much better off not working for that company. I don't think you have any discrimination case, because it has nothing to do with age, gender, race, or (arguably!) religion. I would move on; you got training and probably got paid for it.

On your way out, I might mention they're firing you over $2.50 in electricity a day. ;)

Having asked for, and gotten permission, the $2.50 seems immaterial and it seems odd that this would result in termination. As far as legal recourse, I have no idea. Unless you have something in writing they're free to make up any excuse. Going by your account, they sound like a bunch of jerkwads. It "went all the way to the top"? Sounds like the company is dead from the neck up. Count your blessings this could be the best possible outcome.
 
Stoaty said:
As a temp, your job security is slightly less than zero. They may have had another reason, but used this as a convenient excuse.

When all is said and done, according to Florida law, it is a right to work state; which means that if you do not belong to some sort of organized labor unit (Union), they can dismiss you at any time, for any or NO reason.
 
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