This thread has entertained me greatly over the past few weeks. I created an account just to submit my story. It didn't seem epic at the time but it felt BA to type it out.
Here's a story from many years ago...more about FU skills than FU money. This experience taught me alot about myself and work/life balance. Some bridges deserve to be burned and the earth salted.
I'm a school psychologist in a school. This position is in major demand in my state because there is no one else in the district who can do a part of our job (test students to help determine if there is a disability). I leave District A as the only psychologist because the then superintendent who was retiring refused to give me a raise I requested. I loved the culture at District A and the people but felt I needed to make the move for my career. District B had a higher salary scale and more opportunity for upward mobility.
August: I made the move to District B after their two psychologists retired. I was hired and they were working on hiring another person. The school district is too big for just one of us and the state has rules limiting how many students I can serve. All is going well until I start being asked to do additional work beyond my contracted day.
September: Usually, "extra work" is expected in my role but they still hadn't filled the other psychlogist's spot as yet so I could see they were aiming to have me do the job of two people. I emailed the superintendent and told her I'd be more than happy to contract with them after my hours to do any additional work they needed. This was the beginning of the craziest school year of all time. This incident was when apparently I poisoned the superintendent against me. In September!!! I was told there was absolutely no way they would contract with me, I was relieved of several other responsibilities and told to prioritize my day appropriately. I'll admit to being flabbergasted but I continued to do my work (not the extra and went on about my day). I'll admit to being a little naive since I thought this was over and I'd stay in my corner.
October: I got the flu and took several days off. My wife and kids all got the flu and I took more days off. In my state, sick time is a state provided benefit (it transfers with you from school to school) and I was actually sick so I took a total of 8 days off in a 14 day period. My job is very deadline driven (federal requirements), so I did work while sick, came in for half days and missed ZERO deadlines.
November: I come into work and was handed a letter of reprimand by my supervisor. I'm the straightest of the straight arrows out there so this was a bit shocking. After the shock I ask about my rights as an employee and ask pointed questions about why I was being treated significantly different than any other employee regarding a state benefit. These questions did nothing to endear me to the superintendent (S), assistant superintendent (AS) or my supervisor. I wrote a letter of appeal outlining why what was being done was discrimination and potentially illegal. I was asked to get a doctor's note for every instance of illness. Annoying but easily done and no one else had to do this. Just me.
I remember clearly meeting with S and telling her that I didn't want a fight. I just wanted to be allowed to do my job and do it well since I was good at it. After all I had missed zero deadlines and every objective measure was positive. She said she didn't want to fight either. I thought she softened but then she said I "would do what she told me to do, no questions asked." I laughed and said, "ok, so it's going to be a fight then." I do nothing outside of contracted hours and stay late
***The reader may be asking themselves why I didn't quit at this point. I considered it but in my state you can have your license suspended for up to a year (no work) for leaving in the middle of a school year. I had babies at home and my wife was stay at home. I didn't have THAT much FU money***
December: Another letter of reprimand this month, I can't remember what about. Most likely insubordination because I flat out said "no" several times. They couldn't fire me because they needed me. They were just trying to make me miserable.
No additional psychologist has been hired. The S, AS and supervisor start to realize that I will reach my caseload maximum soon. I've been tracking every single student I have contact with and realize I'll be done in January at this pace. My role is significantly limited at this point, I have to share a weekly calendar with them and they give me additional responsibilities (!!!!) that were pretty much BS paperwork and busywork. At this point my direct supervisor begins to realize that I'm good at my job and I've done everything that's been asked of me. He gives me a positive mid-year evaluation!!! :D S and AS are pissed. This positive evaluation becomes a giant hammer I use to beat back any negative thing S or AS say against me.
January: I get emailed a laundry list of new tasks for me to complete. I email back and say I won't be doing any of those. What is being asked of me is unethical and potentially illegal. I was asked to supervise a teacher. Something I had never done was not qualified to do. This is when I started to cc the school board on everything and get the teacher's union involved (I am non union). S requests a meeting with the AS and my direct supervisor to go over my new tasks. At this point I had a two year contract with the school. Although employees cannot break contract in the middle of a school year we can leave between school years. I clarified with a state education department lawyer in September. In our meeting I make the mistake (at the end of the meeting while I was getting up) of saying that I'd get them through to the end of the year following all the rules and laws, without missing any deadlines.
The superintendent set her jaw and stated I had a two year contract and they were not releasing me. I laughed and said what I stated above about leaving between years per the state education department lawyer. The superintendent said again that she would refuse to release me. I looked around, stood up, laughed incredulously and said, "I'm not sure what about I just said you didn't understand. I. WILL. NOT. BE. HERE. NEXT SCHOOL YEAR." I did it slowly enough like I thought she didn't understand English then walked out.
I leave this meeting and file a complaint with the Office of Civil rights (OCR) and the equal opportunity commission (EEOC) about withholding of a state issued benefit (sick leave). There was a time limit on when I could complain from the time the incident happened.
February: Turns out my old district A superintendent did retire and hired my friend, a former principal who knew me and my work well. The new psychologist was not working out well for them. They posted my old job again so I applied and got it with a small raise. :) AS and S hear about this through the area grapevine and they are pissed.
Superintendent receives the official OCR and EEOC complaint. From this point there is ABSOLUTE radio silence. It was eerie. There was zero contact from S or AS. I'm assuming their lawyer recommended it.
March-May: I get to do my job (just my part) with no extra work. AS tells me they wish they had taken me up on my offer to contract with them. Me too. They had to hire a local clinical psych who charged them an arm and a leg. I turn my letter of resignation into the district on the absolute last possible day. :D
One year later: The school board changed. The superintendent was demoted to being a teacher. Not even kidding. I think there was something in her contract about guaranteed employment so they demoted her. The AS was demoted to principal. My supervisor resigned after it was found out he was sleeping with a teacher he supervised. He was married. I'm thinking I wasn't the issue here.
This has just been a bad memory since then. I'm still at District A for the time being. I see another FU moment shaping up. My friend, the current superintendent is training me in a school finance area that only she and I know how to do. She is planning on retiring this year. :)