Withing my 10 years I have worked for 6 store managers, could be more; however, every time a new store manager came in, because i was not "official" I would get knocked back down to part time, and have to prove my capabilities all over again. With extensive training/rewards/and all the other hooplah they said would get me to where I want to be.....8 Interviews I went to for a management posistion, not a store manager, but the lowest management they offer just to get my foot in the door. Everytime!! They chose someone who had little to no training, but was easy to have sway over them.

The night of a regrand opening, I worked so hard that I literally broke my back and had to go to the emergency room for a displaced L5 disk. The store manager called me the very next day and told me to go to the workmans comp doctor, get some pain pills and come back to work. I could barely walk!! So I refused. During that time I was a department manager of a one man departement working over nights with the night crew. Justin Mickelson, an employee on night crew and a twinkle in the latest of many store managers eye because he just graduated with a degree in marketing, and the store manager at the time loved to build his repore within the company off the backs of hard working young adults who are dedicate, motivated, and inspired to move up....just like I was.

The first night back from being layed up for 3 day, though I feld I needed more. I personally asked the night crew to come over to my departement and help me with because i was in a lot of pain and could not finish or even had a hard time doing my job. Justing with his big ego....provided to him by the store manager, started calling me names, and putting me down. Calling me names like pussy and panzy ass bitch. Finally I told him so STFU or I would kick his ass.......I was fired the next day. I felt like I was set up. I felt like the relationship betweein this employee and the store manager getting mad that I wouldnt come back to work after breaking my back had Justin set me up to be fired.

I was in a lot of pain, tired from lack of sleep due to the pain, on some very strong pain medication and not in the right of mind to just walk away. 10 years of my life I gave to this company, only to lose all my benifits, vacation that i worked hard to build up. The amout of hours i vested myself, the holidays i missed with my family just to prove myself time and time again to all the store manages that they threw in that store, and at the very end, loosing my job, my apartment, my relationship that just begun 3 months prior that I had high hopes for, and gaining only a couch to sleep on for a year at a friends house, and even a hurt back to suffer the rest of my life with.

I sued for my injury, and I won....only a years wages is what I got for a life time of pain, and 10 years of waisted time with the company. I took my years wages, and I went to a lawyer and asked to sue either Justin, or safeway. The lawyer said im not a "protective class", and here it is growing up all my life hearing how white males have it made. I couldnt even sue somoene or a company for totally destroying my life because im a white male.

Thanks Safeway......for the life time of pain, and Thanks Justin for setting me up. Oh and btw, irony here. When I got the letter from safeway telling me why I was fired, it said "I threated a PIC", as I stated in my first paragraph.....I was one of 6 individuals chosen within a whole division of stores, at store level to be the for runner in creating the program. Ironic...or just wrong!