I am a 23 year old from ny. Like most people my age from this area i was having trouble finding a job out of college. So when i was offered a job at a consulting firm as a marketing assistant i jumped at it. (I figured it would be much better than my current job as the paint guy at ace hardware)I really liked the job for a while the people were really nice to me and i enjoyed the work. Then things started getting weird. I was told that once a week for two hours we would have to train and this training would make us better at our jobs. The training had nothing to do with my job. Playing with clay, reading about misunderstood words while trying not to pay attention to the owners stare burning a hole in my face. Weird stuff but i stuck around cus the office was close to my home and it was decent money. Then it got even wierder. I was made to watch a video on dianetics and given a big kit to take home and study. Never opened it. I was constantly having to read crap written by hubbard and was always being quizzed on it afterwards. Asked if was a rowan which i figured basically was asking if i would shut up and do as i was told. I was asked if i would help others onto the bridge. At this point i was the director of marketing and had no clue how getting people to join scientology was part of my job description. I started to become angry at work. The owners were spending more time with me putting my nose in the dictionary for my "M.U.'s." Finally i decided to have some fun with them. One day i was being forced to read something on hubbard. I must have made a funny face when i read the statement "hubbard chose to leave his body in 1986 but remains with us." My boss who was glaring at me came over and asked me what the problem was. I told him that that statement was worded funny. He asked me if i knew what it meant. So i said if he chose to leave his body he must have killed himself. I was taken into another room and given an explanation on the soul. I told the guy i dont believe in the soul (im a catholic but I was angry and wanted to have a lil fun) The conversation ended with him telling me that i shouldnt just believe in a soul that i should know there is a soul, and just as i use my car my soul is using my body and will use a different body someday. Two days later i was fired. I was thinking about the possibility of a lawsuit but i dont think it would be possible because these forced readings were given under the guise of training for my job. Very messed up stuff. If anyone knows of any action i can take please let me know. As of right now i still remember the access codes to the company website (which i designed)and i figured worse comes to worse i could prolly have a lil fun with it. But that wouldnt 'be in ethics' now would it.

You are probably one of thousands who have been fired due to Hubbard.

If all of you who have been fired due to Hubbard/Scientology/Wise/etc... could hook up..you could get a class action lawsuit.....

Also a list of the names of all the WISE asses would be good. I sure wouldn't do ANY business with them.

Along those lines, is there some way we can find out who all the doctors and dentists are who use WISE services? I won't be going to any of them and I will warn my friends.

Andrew,

Contact the local labor board (they're in the phone book) and tell them your story. They will be able to tell you if you have any recourse.

Or, if you know a lawyer, find out that way. Some lawyers will give you a "free" consultation about a potential case in which they may be able to bring a case and get paid after they win. If you don't know any lawyers, call one of those who advertises on television for personal injury, etc. -- they are always looking for work, and even if they can't help you with an actual lawsuit, they may be able to tell you whether or not it's worth pursuing.

AFAIK it is illegal for any company to force religious doctrine on its employees in the name of "training." But there are little fine points and loopholes that make this not so clear-cut.

Just get a little expert advice and see if you can take any action.

Olska, I humbly disagree with you about TV lawyers, they are not doing anything illegal, but are often considered the modern day equivalent of ambulance chasers. Andrew sounds like a pretty smart guy, and probably has access to a more legitimate lawyer. One who has tangled with CoS on this issue is preferable. OSA will just laugh at a TV lawyer. I recommend calling Tory, she is very well read in these cases, and very well connected. She has posted her phone # many times for people who need help, check any of her posts.

Andrew, ianal but if you are into having a whole bunch of really big fun, not just a "lil fun" I think this would be worth pursuing. Financially and for society.

I don't think that business owners have any place, any right, to push their religion on others.

When I was in CofS, I was given to understand that WISE businessowners just used some "admin tech" to run things.

But here- not that it's the first time I've heard about something like this but it is a good example- one can see that various Scn spiritual type theories and beliefs are used and propagated there. What happened there was a lot more than reading some stuff about how to sell or how to set up an organization.

My thought on the matter is this: if a person wanted to be a Scientologist he or she would have gone to a Scientology center. Since the companies owned by Scientologists are not CofS centers and, more importantly, aren't represented as such, then it's way way out of line.

Andrew,

BTW, even though it might be tempting, DO NOT "have a little fun" with the company's website now that you no longer work there.

Not only could that get you into a lot of trouble all by itself, but it would absolutely ruin any chance you have of winning a legitimate case against this company.

In case you did not know, attorneys generally specialize in particular types of cases -- e.g., family law, workman's comp, trust, corporate, etc.

You want a lawyer whose specialty is cases having to do with employee/employer disputes and who will act as an advocate for the employee, as different from a lawyer who acts as an advocate for the employer.

There are different types of claims that one might bring against an employer, such as wrongful dismissal, discrimination, violations of labor regulations, etc.

Upon hearing your story, any lawyer could probably tell you if you have enough grounds to pursue the matter, and then refer you to one who specializes in the types of claims you might bring -- this is why I said if you don't know anyone else, call a TV lawyer, because they could refer you.

An attorney's prior experience with the Church of Scientology and its Office of Special Affairs (OSA) could be useful but I wouldn't think essential since you would be bringing a claim against the consulting firm that employed, "trained" and then fired you, not the Church of Scientology.

Remember that like everyone else in the world, attorneys compete for business, and that the attorney works for you. Make sure you are satisfied with his/her credentials and support of your case before you give anyone any money.

If there is a good chance to win significant $, the attorney may take the case without any payment up front -- they get paid a percentage of whatever they win for you, after they win it.

An attorney's willingness to take a case on this arrangement is a very good thing because it means they believe they can win, and they are "hungry" to win and will put lots of effort into it.

Being fired from a job, no matter what the reason, is almost always a blow to one's confidence -- even when you know in your heart that you didn't deserve it. Many people are very intimidated by events such as you experienced; employers know that, and count on the fact that people often do nothing.

I hope you will at least talk with a professional who can advise you; actually I hope you find a lawyer who will sue them for all they are worth on your behalf, and win, so that they and others like them are put out of the business of intimidating people.

Good luck, and please keep us posted!

OH, and one more thing:

Right now, write down (or speak into a tape recorder) everything you can possibly remember about this experience, with dates, times, names of any other people involved, what was said, what was done, etc. -- like a diary or journal. Date it, note that it is your recollection of events, as of this date.

Stick to the facts as best you recall them; your recollection does not have to be perfect. You can include the fact of your feelings and emotional responses, as well as your observations of others emotions or attitudes as they happened.

Gather up your paystubs, any employment records (such as memos you received), any other kind of documentation (papers, computer records, etc.) that you can find that might have any relevance to this matter. Put all this together in a file in a safe place and hold onto it until you find out if you have a case against them.

It is very easy to forget these details as time passes, and without some record of the events, it is very difficult to make a case in court.

Diaries and recollections such as I'm describing can sometimes be used as part of your case, and will certainly help you keep track of the details necessary to make a case.

Andrew,

That was good advice from Olska.

I would just add: Try contacting the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Google Search EEOC

Also note the ads (on the right) You could also use the internet to get some free legal advice or to find a lawyer in your area
which handles such cases...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also try Mikey Gormez's website.....which will probably answer most, if not all, of your questions.

STOP-WISE.BIZ: WISE = Just another Scientology front group
http://www.stop-wise.biz/

Tigger

P.S. Do you know of any other employees who have refused to *study* Scientology who have been fired or have quit? If so, you might want to join forces with them.

Excellent advice, Olska and Tigger.

One thing to be wary of is getting into a "class action" lawsuit even if you do find alot of other employees in your same situation. In a class action the attorney gets 40% + costs and all the plaintiffs split whats left over. Better to file seperatly and act as witnesses for each other, IMHO Costs are high when you are fighting scn, and even though you are technically fighting the company that fired you, they are a WISE company, and WISE is run by the SEA ORG of Scientology, and you can bet their PR and Law departments will be running them.

I repeat, I am not a Lawyer, but I was in the SEA ORG for many years.

I don't think a class action would be correct in this situation. If you do anything about this legally, it should be on your own. Consult an attorney... they will tell you what is appropriate.

Thanks guys this is all really good advice. I still talk to several people that I met at this business who quit because of the study tech. As for making some money off of these people i really dont care about that. I just want to punish them for the situation they put myself and others in. I loved my job. I had fun doing what i was doing. Yet every day we had training i would leave work feeling like I was going to puke. Being force fed something and not being able to say anything is comparable to being held under water as far as im concerned. I have one othe quick question though. I recently filed for unemployment. When i did file i was told that i had reportedly received a check from some contracting company when in reality i had never heard of them. Apparently my former employers (a consulting firm) had claimed that i was subcontracted for a brief period by this other company. Now i know something weird is going on with that but what? I called my former employer and asked them about this letting them know that if i was subcontracted i would like this check that i never recieved but they told me that they never heard of this contractor i was supposedly lent to. Anyone ever heard of something like this?

Andrew,

Never heard of the subcontracting situation you describe. It could be an error that has nothing to do with your employer. But don't let it go, because it also could be some convoluted scam to prevent you from making an unemployment claim on your former employer's unemployment insurance.

Contact the "contracting company" who supposedly sent you the check and if they did, then demand documentation on when you worked for (dates) them, what you did for them, and a copy of the cashed check OR a brand new check since you've never seen it. And give this info to unemployment.

As for making some money off of these people i really dont care about that. I just want to punish them for the situation they put myself and others in.

Right, I agree. But the best way to punish them is to sue them for all they are worth, put them out of business, take over all their assets, pay the lawyers who pulled it off, and then do whatever you wish with the money that comes to you -- which most likely is NOT TAXABLE! (verify that).

For example, if you don't need the money for your personal transition to a career you can be happy with, then donate it to the charity of your choice, pay for someone else's educational expenses and help them into a great career, etc.

Businesses that mistreat employees are all about making money; I say, hit them where it hurts.