This is absolutely true. My former employer (a big box retail company) reduced my pay while I was on holiday. I had been there for years and accrued a bunch of pay rises - but the company got bought out and the new owners thought they could strip me of these because they felt they were temporary and non-contractual.

I got some legal advice that basically said they can't do that sort of thing and had a meeting scheduled with HR. I went in with my notepad, I stayed calm - pleasent even - no angry shouting or slamming tables with fists, I just politely asked them questions and wrote down everything they said, then read their answers back to them to confirm thats what they said. I had about 6 questions prepared and by the 4th they were visibly uncomfortable, it was an amazing feeling making them squirm like that. After I got done asking my questions, I dropped the legal advice I had been given on them and it was obvious the answers they gave supported my case very heavily. They panicked and reversed all there decesion plus I got back-pay.

But if the first thing I had done is charge in making accusations and quoting the law I know nothing constructive would have happened.

See the goal is to bury them in their own words.

Edit: predictably the company went bust the next year. So long Office Outlet!

[–] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 28 points 11 months ago

Always get them to bury themselves before dropping your intentions.

My wife is currently dealing with her employer and their complete lack of handicap spots, despite over 200 regular car spaces scattered all around a warehouse lot. She doesn't quite get how to "play the game" like this but she's learning.

One party recording state so I'd like her to go in to talk about it while recording, but her anxiety is completely stonewalling her from bringing it up.

Hit record on the phone, slip it in a pocket that has good clearance for the whole conversation, and get them to say the things they've said when they think nobody else can hear them.

Apparently the front office woman screamed at her to move her car (she parked there because the offices are isolated from traffic and have access to her work area)and "it's not our goddamn problem we don't have handicap spots, it's yours so deal with it"

I'm about to just skip around waiting for her to do things and file a complaint with the EEOC or at least the ADA government site complaint form. I'm sure that would take months, if not years before anything ever happened, but I can't hold her hand and be there when she confronts the owners about their 6-8 missing handicap spots.