TexasCHLforum.com

To answer questions/respond to others:

I'm sure if I refused to let them search my car, they'd have disciplinary action "up to and including termination". But if I'm not parked in "their" parking lot, it doesn't matter anyway.

The faux manager Alex has no authority and is only there to assist the real managers if we are shorthanded. His job is to talk to guests and swipe cards on the computer. Otherwise, he's a server just like me. I have not been told that I am not allowed to carry my concealed handgun on premises (and I'm not licensed to do so yet anyway), I have simply been reminded that it is "against company policy to have a weapon in my car if it's parked on their property." So I'll solve that by not parking on "their property".

While they could potentially say I'm not allowed to carry my pocketknife, no manager actually cares that many of their staff do carry them. We open a LOT of boxes over the course of a shift and they're handy tools to have. Two of the managers carry their pocketknives as well. I'm not worried about the knife and wouldn't wear it if they asked me not to. It's not like I have it out where everyone can see...it's hidden under my apron because the apron covers my pockets.

When I was talking to the Pro-2A manager and new hire, I believed we were alone in an empty part of the restaurant. The buzzkill manager had to have been purposely standing out of view and be quiet himself if he hoped to hear the conversation. It's not unusual for him to sneak around and try to catch employees doing something "wrong", but usually it's about food not being rung in correctly or someone purposely not charging someone for food/drinks.

I only talk with the Pro-2A manager about gun rights because he's brought it up before and asked how he would be able to get his CHL, and where to take the course. Granted, that was in the privacy of the office and out of others' earshot. He's a good guy and I trust him...but I still haven't told him I plan on getting my CHL. I told him I only knew about it because my uncle got his last year.

the point of my comment about the knife is that IF they wanted to its cause to terminate
Doesnt matter how many others are carrying knives.

92f-fan wrote:the point of my comment about the knife is that IF they wanted to its cause to terminate
Doesnt matter how many others are carrying knives.

They can fire me for anything else, too. "For being born on a Tuesday" was my favorite example posted here so far.
It takes time and money to train a new hire, and I've been there long enough and am good enough at my job that I'm highly valued. I'm not saying this makes me safe; however, I doubt they would fire me over a stupid reason just because they can.
If I violate the guidelines in the employee handbook, they must, according to our handbook, take action other than termination FIRST. Only if I fail to adhere to the rules after disciplinary action can they do anything about it. (They could still fire me afterwards for a different reason, of course.)

I am not worried about it and, as I mentioned before, serving jobs are not difficult to find. Though the buzzkill manager looks for errors and deliberate "mistakes' made by the staff, it's always related to the bottom line - money. It affects his bonuses and his job, so that's understandable. He doesn't look for reasons to fire his staff; the only people who have been fired since I started working there are kitchen cooks who started fighting with kitchen knives (so much for trying to keep the workplace safe by banning weapons...) and servers who were stealing money or product.

My earrings aren't allowed under the employee handbook, but I wear them and even the buzzkill manager hasn't said anything. It doesn't personally affect him so he's not too concerned.

I'd be willing to bet my next paycheck that your employer most assuredly does not own the parking lot, let alone the building.

Fellow Shermanite here......thought I'd say howdy and to let you know that I agree with your decision to carry anyways once your plastic is in hand. We've had a handful of robberies around town lately, and I like to see a lady take her safety in her own hands. Especially if you leave that place late.

NTexas_V-Star wrote:Fellow Shermanite here......thought I'd say howdy and to let you know that I agree with your decision to carry anyways once your plastic is in hand. We've had a handful of robberies around town lately, and I like to see a lady take her safety in her own hands. Especially if you leave that place late.

Exactly. I'm not worried about leaving in the daytime, but it never hurts to be prepared. Most of my shifts have me leaving around midnight and although I am usually walked to my car, I don't like not having protection until I reach my car and have my revolver. Servers leave with cash every night, so that makes me a big target for a mugging. If a mugging is going to happen it will probably be BEFORE I get to my car.

bdickens - That's what I suggested to the Pro-2A manager and he said he didn't know. I bet they rent out the space, and even if the property is under their control I bet they can't claim the parking lot. Still, I'll be parking the 6 inches farther from the door and avoid the issue altogether.