What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CT
There is a company where I worked for 7.5 years. Everything was fine for about the first 5 years. I received regular promotions and pay increases, and had not been reprimanded. Then they rehired someone that I previously had a personal relationship with, and everything started falling apart. He began harassing me on the job, and it became impossible to avoid him because he was hired into a higher position within my department, and had known my boss for years. He proceeded to make me look bad to my boss, which resulted in my receiving the only reprimand since my employment with them. There was also other people involved in the harassment. This went back and forth until I was called into the office one day in 2002, and told that I had threatened to do something and that weather I had done anything or not, I was terminated. I denied this vehemently then, and still do now. When I went to collect unemployment after this, I was told that the employer was contesting it, and that there had to be a hearing. I went through the hearing process, and the company failed to produce any evidence of any wrongdoing on my part. I was able to collect the unemployment that I was due, but I really wanted reinstatement, as this was a very good paying job. Ever since then, I have been unable to gain employment in my field, and I have reason to believe it is because this company is wrongfully giving me a bad reference. How do I go about getting a copy of the references and/or personnel files they're putting out about me, and taking action against them? Additionally, this company went as far as to threaten the jobs of any other employees that stood up for me. I have lost contact with most everyone I worked with, mostly because the ones who were my friends were afraid for their jobs, and some of the others believed that I actually did what I was accused of. Ever since this happened, I have been stuck taking little dead-end jobs, like fast food work, instead of the electronic & computer engineering work I went to school for, and worked hard to get. Please help.
There is a company where I worked for 7.5 years. Everything was fine for about the first 5 years. I received regular promotions and pay increases, and had not been reprimanded. Then they rehired someone that I previously had a personal relationship with, and everything started falling apart. He began harassing me on the job, and it became impossible to avoid him because he was hired into a higher position within my department, and had known my boss for years. He proceeded to make me look bad to my boss, which resulted in my receiving the only reprimand since my employment with them. There was also other people involved in the harassment. This went back and forth until I was called into the office one day in 2002, and told that I had threatened to do something and that weather I had done anything or not, I was terminated. I denied this vehemently then, and still do now. When I went to collect unemployment after this, I was told that the employer was contesting it, and that there had to be a hearing. I went through the hearing process, and the company failed to produce any evidence of any wrongdoing on my part. I was able to collect the unemployment that I was due, but I really wanted reinstatement, as this was a very good paying job. Ever since then, I have been unable to gain employment in my field, and I have reason to believe it is because this company is wrongfully giving me a bad reference. How do I go about getting a copy of the references and/or personnel files they're putting out about me, and taking action against them? Additionally, this company went as far as to threaten the jobs of any other employees that stood up for me. I have lost contact with most everyone I worked with, mostly because the ones who were my friends were afraid for their jobs, and some of the others believed that I actually did what I was accused of. Ever since this happened, I have been stuck taking little dead-end jobs, like fast food work, instead of the electronic & computer engineering work I went to school for, and worked hard to get. Please help.