LOWES HOME & GARDEN CENTER Oneida New York

First of all let me start by saying I am the parent of an ex-Lowes employee. I have felt that what was done to my son was very unfair and devastating. I am NOT saying this because he is my son, as I am a parent that has brought my children up letting them know when they are right or wrong. I have stood by and obsevered and listened to everything I am about to say, therefore I do know first hand all aspects of this situation.

Let me begin, my son has worked hard since he was 15 years old. He has excellent working skills with high customer service experience. He started working for Lowes about 14 monthes ago when this new Lowes store opened. He was hired right away as a Team Leader of the tool dept., as he had previous experience in tools. He took on alot of different responsibilities including some of his dept. managers and zone managers work. He was responsible, did his job well and excelled. They selected him about 5 monthes ago to go through a mangers training course, which he excelled in and passed. He was told by many different managers in the store that he was doing great and when a dept. manager position came up he would most likely get it.

His job and carear at LOWES seemed to be going great and in the right direction. However, underneath it all, it was falling apart. He had a girlfriend, whom he had been with for 6-7 years. They lived together, and worked together. The managers and co-workers knew that they had a relationship and lived together since day one.

The problem stems from her. About 8 monthes ago she started acting different, going out late, getting calls all hours of the night on her cell phone. My son did question her, but she said it was a friend that needed to talk. he didn't think much of it. Then one day at work co-worker's were telling him that the saw his girlfriend with the store operations manager and that she was going out with him. This store op's manager is a married man with children. My son did not beleive the rumers and did'nt think anymore of it. Then one night he read all her cell phones text messages and wrote down the number from them. He called the number, but no one ever would answer. Co-worker's at work kept telling him andknow he was starting to watch for signs of this relationship. Then one night 2 weeks ago, he needed to call the op's manager and called a co-worker for his cell number. After he got the number he put two and two together and it was his cell number all along. Around this same time she said she was going to her friends, but she did'nt know where her friend lived. He asked her for the address and she still never knew. She just said I'm getting a ride over. She then called my son from her friends house that night explaining around the area she was at. This was the second friday night in a row that this had happened. I told my son that I would pick him up and we would go out together to see whats going on. I had a feeling then that we were going to catch them that night. We were driving around when we seen the operational managers car driving around, I seen him drive down into the area she was at and followed him. He went into the same apartment that she was at and came out about 40 mins later with her holding hands and kissing.

My son was devastated and it took all I could do to keep him in the truck. He stayed with me and she did not know that we had seen her with him. She walked him to his car and went back into the apartment and then called my sons cell phone. He answered and asked her what she was doing, she said nothing just hanging out. He then proceeded to tell her that we seen her and him, she told him he was crazy and hung up her phone. He called her back and her voice mail picked up. He left a heated message, due to his devastating experience that he had just had. He did scream and use profanity. He was very upset and could not believe this was happening. I took him home and he stayed at my house. He went to work as scheduled that next day. At work he was called into the office and told that due to his voice mail that he left on her cell phone that he was now suspended while they investgated this situation. My son explained eveything to them and they told him to have faith in Lowes and we will call you in a week. Three days later he received a call from the manager and was told he was now terminated and he gave no further explination. So, this was it, my son was now fired, but the weird thing was his ex-girlfriend and the op's manager were both still employeed. Huh, now the co-workers were really talking, they were telling him how the op's manger was marking appliances down to nearly nothing so that she could buy them, he gave her all the answers to a shed contest so that she could go to lunch with him, then a manager who had transfered called him to ask him what happened because he heard stuff. He then went to say that the op's manger called him bragging about sexual relations with her. My son was so upset. He tried calling a corporate manager, but got no return call, he has now e-mailed another hoping to get some reason for why he was terminated. It has now been three weeks and he still has got no real reason to why he was terminated and nothing has been done to either of them. It seems to me that as I read different coments online this is not the first time LOWES has terminated an employee that really did nothing wrong at work or on work property. Today, he is stronger and learned to listen and observe more. Lowes wrongfully terminated an excellent employee who was 110% dedicated to the company. Lowes was not there for him and he did have faith in LOWES !! Did I mention that LOWES has a policey that managers can not have relationships with or see co-workers?? Huh, but they still are and they still are employeed by LOWES !!

Robin
oneida, New York