First let me say that I'm not looking for sympathy -- although I'm more than happy to get some if there is anyone who feels like giving.
What I'm looking for is advice. In a perfect world, I might be talking to an attorney, but I can't afford one -- and honestly, I doubt that any but the very best attorneys in the country could give me the perspective that some of the people here could.
So here goes.
I was recently relieved of my duties at an independently-owned radio station.
My contract included a 1-year non-compete. Things were good early on...I even got a promotion not long after getting here. With as much objectivity as is possible, the non-compete is overly restrictive in time and in scope. The agreement included a small severance which is already gone. While employed for this station, I already was living without cable and internet. The power gets shut off on Friday, and I have no idea how I will pay rent January 1. I am stuck in a 1-year lease after relocating here, a day's drive from my nearest family and/or friends. My unemployment claim has been pending for two weeks now, and I have no idea how long it will pend -- much less whether or not I will be approved for benefits.
I mention the promotion because I now find that I sit on much more information than I would have had access to under my original contract/job title. When I was fired, I was told I would need to sign something to receive my severance. I was actually glad about this, because from a legal standpoint, my contract already covered the terms under which I would receive severance; being asked to sign something else might have given me a chance to point that out and possible negotiate for a fairer settlement. They changed their minds and decided to give me my last check "no strings".
I now find myself in the situation of sitting on information that could potentially be damaging to the station's owner -- possibly illegal and/or tortuous offenses, definitely immoral. Without having consulted an attorney, I do believe that much of this information could be released without violating my confidentiality clause(s).
I also find myself in possession of information, gained since my employment ended, that -- if shared with my former employer -- could be very beneficial to them and potentially allow them to recover tens of thousands of dollars.
I left on good terms (as good as could be expected) with everyone except my immediate supervisor. I am trying to balance my desire for "revenge" with:
This will likely end up having been my last radio gig. It's no secret that our industry is in peril, and it's only going to get worse if people keep treating people this way. That, however, is another topic for another day.
So...my question(s): What would you do if you were me? I'm too poor to stay, too poor to leave. I understand the difficulty and expense of trying to seek legal redress for wrongful termination, discrimination, reduction of my non-compete, etc. Most of all, I feel that I was treated unfairly -- and with the situation I find myself in, I've had a lot of time to think about some of the other people that I'm aware are being treated unfairly (not to mention immorally/illegally/tortuously). What is my moral responsibility to these people? If you were the "station across town", would you be interested in speaking with me? What are some of the consequences (for me and for a potential new employer) of choosing not to honor my non-compete? Do I have anything to lose, really?
Feel free to address any or all of the thoughts I have shared here in the forum, or via private message. I've already said too much (in more ways than one,) but in closing, assume in your response that I am dealing with someone who has an extremely litigious streak. :-\
Happy Holidays.....
What I'm looking for is advice. In a perfect world, I might be talking to an attorney, but I can't afford one -- and honestly, I doubt that any but the very best attorneys in the country could give me the perspective that some of the people here could.
So here goes.
I was recently relieved of my duties at an independently-owned radio station.
My contract included a 1-year non-compete. Things were good early on...I even got a promotion not long after getting here. With as much objectivity as is possible, the non-compete is overly restrictive in time and in scope. The agreement included a small severance which is already gone. While employed for this station, I already was living without cable and internet. The power gets shut off on Friday, and I have no idea how I will pay rent January 1. I am stuck in a 1-year lease after relocating here, a day's drive from my nearest family and/or friends. My unemployment claim has been pending for two weeks now, and I have no idea how long it will pend -- much less whether or not I will be approved for benefits.
I mention the promotion because I now find that I sit on much more information than I would have had access to under my original contract/job title. When I was fired, I was told I would need to sign something to receive my severance. I was actually glad about this, because from a legal standpoint, my contract already covered the terms under which I would receive severance; being asked to sign something else might have given me a chance to point that out and possible negotiate for a fairer settlement. They changed their minds and decided to give me my last check "no strings".
I now find myself in the situation of sitting on information that could potentially be damaging to the station's owner -- possibly illegal and/or tortuous offenses, definitely immoral. Without having consulted an attorney, I do believe that much of this information could be released without violating my confidentiality clause(s).
I also find myself in possession of information, gained since my employment ended, that -- if shared with my former employer -- could be very beneficial to them and potentially allow them to recover tens of thousands of dollars.
I left on good terms (as good as could be expected) with everyone except my immediate supervisor. I am trying to balance my desire for "revenge" with:
- an attempt to try to make a move that could help save me from financial ruin/eviction/etc,
- a desire to keep my reputation intact,
- and a desire to do the "right" thing.
This will likely end up having been my last radio gig. It's no secret that our industry is in peril, and it's only going to get worse if people keep treating people this way. That, however, is another topic for another day.
So...my question(s): What would you do if you were me? I'm too poor to stay, too poor to leave. I understand the difficulty and expense of trying to seek legal redress for wrongful termination, discrimination, reduction of my non-compete, etc. Most of all, I feel that I was treated unfairly -- and with the situation I find myself in, I've had a lot of time to think about some of the other people that I'm aware are being treated unfairly (not to mention immorally/illegally/tortuously). What is my moral responsibility to these people? If you were the "station across town", would you be interested in speaking with me? What are some of the consequences (for me and for a potential new employer) of choosing not to honor my non-compete? Do I have anything to lose, really?
Feel free to address any or all of the thoughts I have shared here in the forum, or via private message. I've already said too much (in more ways than one,) but in closing, assume in your response that I am dealing with someone who has an extremely litigious streak. :-\
Happy Holidays.....
and refused to sign them. The first time I did this, it was totally ignored, but the second time, this ops manager had an issue with a subordinate employee who was too lazy to forward a phone call to him. So he posted another of his infamous "read and initial" memos, in which he also printed out and posted the page from the manual detailing proper phone policy and etiquette. Since this did not represent a change in policy, since I did not have any issues with forwarding phone calls (or taking messages in my case since I was usually there at night), since I wasn't even at the station at the time she took the call and refused to forward it to him (remember, I worked nights), since there were too many of these memos, and since I had gotten away without signing memos previously, and since nothing ever changed as a result of these memos (including this one!), I refused to sign it. This went on for a month, until I got another memo ordering me to sign it, at which time, I wrote on the memo (in red ink, which I usually did when I was angry about something, which was usually quite often) a note of my own on the memo protesting the way they had treated me over an issue that I had had absolutely nothing to do with! They put it in my file, but I didn't give a damn. I worked nights, and at that time, they didn't have anyone who was willing or able to do nights. (That saved my ass many times!) As I accurately predicted, nothing changed as a result of the memo, and the employee in question was caught in a lie about six months later, and fired. (Fortunately, they didn't post any more "read and initial" memos; they just did what they should have done the first time.)