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What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Texas
I have a question on what can actually happen to me and if I have a case against my present employer.
I am a Texas resident. I work for a computer company and we regularly have expensive electronic items on our trucks (They are not company trucks, there are our personal vehicles).
On Tuesday of last week, I arrived at the office and had all of my equipment in the bed of the truck. I went upstatirs and started working on some things that were backed up. I recieved a call from the manager over the techs and he told me he needed to get one of the serials of a router I carry in my truck, I said ok, and went down to get it for him. As I walked up to my truck, my entire bed was empty. I had a ladder, toolbox, and two routers (expensive cisco computer routers) that were no longer there. I called the manager and told him that somebody had stolen the stuff out of my bed. He told me to call my personal insurance and see if they would cover it and to let the president of the company know, which I did. I called the insurance company and was told that they would not cover anything that was not attached to the vehicle. I called the manager back and he said he would call the police and find out what to do next. I sat nervously working in the server room. About two hours later, another tech had arrived and the president of the company came in telling us to "follow him". He took us to the meeting room and explained to us that in our handbooks, it says you are responsible for any items on your truck that belong to the company, even if they have to hold the amount of the items lost out of your paycheck. The other tech and I explained that an employee can only do so much and that theft was not 100% preventable, but we agreed that we needed to start keeping the expensive stuff inside the cab of our trucks. I sat through the meeting thinking in my head that there was no way I could pay for these items that had been stolen ($5,000 worth), and that the company should have there own insurance if they were going to have there techs carrying this much valuable property. All of a sudden, the president says, "Now (my name), I want you to go get the suff out of the back of MY truck".
The president of the company had removed the items out of the bed of my truck, hid them in the bed of his to make me believe they had been stolen, to the extent of calling MY insurance. Anyway, I almost put in my resignation at this point, but since my wife and I had recently had a child, I didn't want to take the chance in finding another job just yet, and I also wanted to wait and see what else was said if anything.
Well, the rest of the week went by and on Friday, the manager (who is also part owner) and the President both had there trucks broken into for real in the parking lot, and had there laptops stolen. I found it ironic, but didn't think much else of it. I came home friday night and had a normal evening with my family. The next morning I woke up to find that MY truck had been broken into (this time for real, and they had broken into the cab of the truck)and they had stolen a $1200 laptop and a $2500 router. I called the manager and told him and he told me to call the police, but tell them I had TWO laptops stolen, so the cost of one would meet the deductible. I was angered by the thought of this and ended the call with him. The police came out and I filed a report and told them what items had really been stolen and that was that.
Monday morning came along and I arrived at the office early for our weekly monday meeting. It was a normal meeting and the president went over ways we might secure our trucks (ways that the employees would have to pay for out of there own pocket). After the meeting was over I was on my way out and the manager (part owner), asked me if I had heard anything about my in-laws home insurance covering the theft (My wife and I are currently living with her parents, as we are trying to find a house to buy). I told him that my in-laws were going to find out, but were not sure if the insurance would cover it since it would be like we were guests in the house. My manager said, "Tell the insurance that your truck really belongs to there daughter (my wife)". Once again I was angered with him wanting me to commit fraud. I called my Wife and she was angered as well a second time. My mother and law found out and called the manager of my company. She recorded the phone call, and has him recorded saying for us to say that there were two laptops and to lie and tell the insurance that it there dughters car rather than my truck and him telling her if I couldn't pay, they would hold my paychecks to get the money back. About two hours later I recieved a phone call from the president saying that what the manager had said was not something that he condoned.
Anyway, I am planning on leaving the present employer as I do not feel I should have to pay out of pocket for the items stolen (on my salary, it would take 4 months of no pay at all to repay that amount.) What grounds do they have to get the money back if I leave the employer and do I have any case against them based off of the manager (part owner) wanting me to commit insurance fraud? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I have a question on what can actually happen to me and if I have a case against my present employer.
I am a Texas resident. I work for a computer company and we regularly have expensive electronic items on our trucks (They are not company trucks, there are our personal vehicles).
On Tuesday of last week, I arrived at the office and had all of my equipment in the bed of the truck. I went upstatirs and started working on some things that were backed up. I recieved a call from the manager over the techs and he told me he needed to get one of the serials of a router I carry in my truck, I said ok, and went down to get it for him. As I walked up to my truck, my entire bed was empty. I had a ladder, toolbox, and two routers (expensive cisco computer routers) that were no longer there. I called the manager and told him that somebody had stolen the stuff out of my bed. He told me to call my personal insurance and see if they would cover it and to let the president of the company know, which I did. I called the insurance company and was told that they would not cover anything that was not attached to the vehicle. I called the manager back and he said he would call the police and find out what to do next. I sat nervously working in the server room. About two hours later, another tech had arrived and the president of the company came in telling us to "follow him". He took us to the meeting room and explained to us that in our handbooks, it says you are responsible for any items on your truck that belong to the company, even if they have to hold the amount of the items lost out of your paycheck. The other tech and I explained that an employee can only do so much and that theft was not 100% preventable, but we agreed that we needed to start keeping the expensive stuff inside the cab of our trucks. I sat through the meeting thinking in my head that there was no way I could pay for these items that had been stolen ($5,000 worth), and that the company should have there own insurance if they were going to have there techs carrying this much valuable property. All of a sudden, the president says, "Now (my name), I want you to go get the suff out of the back of MY truck".
The president of the company had removed the items out of the bed of my truck, hid them in the bed of his to make me believe they had been stolen, to the extent of calling MY insurance. Anyway, I almost put in my resignation at this point, but since my wife and I had recently had a child, I didn't want to take the chance in finding another job just yet, and I also wanted to wait and see what else was said if anything.Well, the rest of the week went by and on Friday, the manager (who is also part owner) and the President both had there trucks broken into for real in the parking lot, and had there laptops stolen. I found it ironic, but didn't think much else of it. I came home friday night and had a normal evening with my family. The next morning I woke up to find that MY truck had been broken into (this time for real, and they had broken into the cab of the truck)and they had stolen a $1200 laptop and a $2500 router. I called the manager and told him and he told me to call the police, but tell them I had TWO laptops stolen, so the cost of one would meet the deductible.
I was angered by the thought of this and ended the call with him. The police came out and I filed a report and told them what items had really been stolen and that was that. Monday morning came along and I arrived at the office early for our weekly monday meeting. It was a normal meeting and the president went over ways we might secure our trucks (ways that the employees would have to pay for out of there own pocket). After the meeting was over I was on my way out and the manager (part owner), asked me if I had heard anything about my in-laws home insurance covering the theft (My wife and I are currently living with her parents, as we are trying to find a house to buy). I told him that my in-laws were going to find out, but were not sure if the insurance would cover it since it would be like we were guests in the house. My manager said, "Tell the insurance that your truck really belongs to there daughter (my wife)".
Once again I was angered with him wanting me to commit fraud. I called my Wife and she was angered as well a second time. My mother and law found out and called the manager of my company. She recorded the phone call, and has him recorded saying for us to say that there were two laptops and to lie and tell the insurance that it there dughters car rather than my truck and him telling her if I couldn't pay, they would hold my paychecks to get the money back. About two hours later I recieved a phone call from the president saying that what the manager had said was not something that he condoned.Anyway, I am planning on leaving the present employer as I do not feel I should have to pay out of pocket for the items stolen (on my salary, it would take 4 months of no pay at all to repay that amount.) What grounds do they have to get the money back if I leave the employer and do I have any case against them based off of the manager (part owner) wanting me to commit insurance fraud? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!