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Re: lost it at work today help
You definitely have rights which can help protect your job while you seek medical help. Unfortunately, in many cases you will have to fight hard to protect those rights. From your employer's perspective, they know that they have to provide accomodations for situations like disabilities, work-related injuries, pregnancy, etc. They also know that there aren't any 'employer police' going around and making sure that these situations are being handled, so they figure they'll just say 'no' or 'you will be fired' because most employees don't know their rights and will just accept it. You MUST let them know that you're not 'asking' for help, you are DEMANDING the treatment you are legally entitled to. Nobody wants a messy legal fight and nobody wants bad publicity- putting a single mother between a rock and a hard place will not make your employer look good to the public. My advice would be:
1. Talk to your union rep and demand to talk to a union labor lawyer. If your local rep is reluctant, be forceful- you're not paying dues so these guys can sit on their thumbs all day.
2. Talk to an idependent attorney. Try to find a lawyer with labor law experience who is willing to give you a free consultation. Do this at the same time as you try to talk with your union's lawyer. If your union isn't willing to fight for you, you'll want a second opinion to see if there really isn't any legal ground or if they're just being lazy.
3. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING!! If this does turn ugly, you need to have records of all the steps you took so you can adequately defend yourself in any situation. You don't have to get notarized copies of every conversation you've had with your supervisor, but at least keep a journal to note that you talked to John Doe on Monday to talk about 'blah' and he said 'blah'. In ANY consumer affair, a good set of records is a necessity. Like everyone else has said, hang in there and take charge of what's going on. Look at it this way- if you don't get treatment, you might not perform well at your job and get fired down the road, so why not get the problem fixed ASAP, and even if they fire you, you'll be much healthier and a much more capable person for the rest of your life.
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