*Clarifying edit* Just to clear up a few things about what’s happening now that I’ve had some time.to eat dinner and do some digging:
1) my new employer used to own part of the old company but they divested themselves of that this week and bought out remaining stock.
2) I am the only person whose employment was effected by this, apparently. And they just transfered over my old salary and vacation time. No chance for negotiation. But, and this is key, I dug through my emails and there is one chain where my old boss told the new company what my compensation package is and that both parties accepted those terms. Here's the thing - I am not a contractor, and I reviewed my (very short) employee handbook. No one at either company had the right to accept employment terms on my behalf. Now, because I "accepted" the employment, that's definitely slimy and wrong, but not illegal. However.....
3) I was told to sign documents under the guise that the new position would be the same as the old one and it was just a change in who was footing the bill. I just checked and according to Michigan law, the email exchanges between me and everyone involved saying “sign these forms, there is no change in your work location or duties” does actually constitute an agreement for employment so I am answering my own question above. If they go through with the change in location and duties that would be a violation of that agreement and they are in the wrong, possibly even to the point of being in violation of it. If nothing else, I think this is my leverage to at least get more time or a chance to renegotiate this.
4) I have not been given a formal notice of termination of employment with my old company. I think this is to make sure I have health insurance since I was told I couldn’t get insurance at the new place for 60 days.
Hope that clears up a few things.
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Okay....I ranted earlier about the Enclave ST because of what’s been happening this week. I think I just became the victim of a violation of labor law, but I want a quick sanity check to make sure I’m not missing anything before I go shopping for a lawyer.
On monday, my boss called me in for a meeting to basically say “Hey, we entered a partnership with our parent company, you’re now paid by them”. Okay, cool.
On tuesday, I get told they can’t “transfer over my information” so I need to basically fill out paperwork as if I was a brand new employee......weeeeird but not unheard of I guess? Oh and I also have a new supervisor and work location.....Also weeeeeeird and now shady too.
On wednesday, the ball drops - they look at my schedule and what I do and say “Well, he’s our employee now so he’s doing x, y, and z”. Keep in mind, I have YET to have anyone actually sit down and explain to me what exactly I’m doing and what’s going on.
Today I vocalized my complaints only to be met with “Well just come down to the onboarding session and we’ll talk about your new role (that you already agreed to do!) over lunch”.
I’m sorry, back the fuck up here?!?!?! Last I checked, yes I could be fired at-will by a current employer, but I don’t think you’re allowed to literally just send me to another company to do a different job without so much as a courtesy email and then tell me “Do this job that is a complete 180 to what you were doing before”. Oh and keep in mind, it looks like I will not be allowed to do work for my “old” employer now, I guess, so they’re absolutely FUCKED. I told one of our biggest customers a very light overview of what happened and he immediately said if I leave, he’s taking his business to another company. Oh and I’m the one who handles all our paperwork for wastewater, OSHA, hazmat shipping, and more.....Just typing all this out I am in genuine disbelief that they’re just doing this.....I don’t get it. Why take an employee from another company without notifying them to have them do a different job?
I have been genuinely near mental breakdown status for most of this week trying to figure out how to help dig some people out of this one and just trying to process this whole event.