Current Events > Redditor stuck behind broken gate in store with no emergency exit

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/sr77r2/pa_employee_me_stuck_in_building/

I work at a fast food restaurant, inside of a walmart. I closed the gate door for closing procedures, did my closing duties, and now as i try to leave the gate door is siezed, it will not open. I have tried, and others on the outside of the door have tried, it is not that i am just too weak, i open and close this door 5x a week. I called my manager and was told i'll be stuck here at least all night long, if not longer if they cant get the door open in the morning. There is no emergency exit in the restaurant, there is inside the walmart but i cant leave the restaurant. No windows either. Am I entitled to wages for all the time stuck in here? Do I have any legal recourse for this? If I had some sort of medical emergency in here, Im not sure what i'd do. I have diagnosed anxiety disorder and this is certainly making it worse.
EDIT: I called the walmart head manager, he said unfortunately theres nothing he can personally do aside from call my boss. I called my boss myself and said if they cant get down here and open the door, im going to call the fire department and have them open it. My boss made it very clear that i am *not* to call the fire department as they will ruin the door, and they will be here first thing in the morning..if i am fired for calling the fire dept to get out, is that wrongful termination? I did call them as my boss refused to come in again..heres to hoping i dont lose my job

EDIT2: The firemen chief (idk his actual title, the guy in charge of the men who showed up for the fire dept.) called my boss and told him if he doesn't come in and get something in action like calling a door technician or a locksmith or something, they will be cutting up the door. So he's coming in and going to figure something out, and some of the fire dept. will be staying until i am confirmed out. If its going to take an unreasonable amount of time with the solution he chooses theyre going to cut me out anyway due to safety concerns. Thank you everyone!
Final edit: thank you everyone for the concern, i am out and in my car now, unfortunately for my boss and the store owners the door had to be cut as no locksmiths were available and door techs wouldnt be there until tomorrow afternoon, and it is 10pm my time. If i am fired for this event..i may make a 2nd post referencing this one. I am sure something will be done about there being no emergency exit in the restaurant, the fire cheif was not happy about that. I've never had to call 911 or anything before and was very hesitant, but all the comments suggesting so eased my mind i wasn't being over dramatic.
TLDR; Thank you, I am safe now.

Imagine having a boss so uncaring to you as a person that they tell you to not call 911 because they might damage a fucking door lmao

lolwut

Dude can totally sue. It's on the manager to make sure that shit works, and to take care of the employees for things outside their level.

Call the fire department.

Why do people slurp businesses and hate on employees again?

were always exploited.

no emergency exit is probably grounds for a lawsuit by itself

So much liability in this situation, and none of it falls on the employee. What a crappy manager, and good guy fire chief.

I'm so glad he called the fire department and got out. Fuck that boss, and fuck that job.

At least the Fire Chief behaved appropriately.

No emergency exits is illegal

well, if the employee works for a chain, there might be a new management position coming available shortly.

The McDonalds in Walmart near my place has an exit that you can access from inside the store in case of emergency. That McDonalds and Walmart should be fined heavily for their negligence in not providing one in store. Who the fuck decided that A PLACE THAT COOKS FOOD only needed one exit? Fucking idiots.

Guide posted...

Dude can totally sue. It's on the manager to make sure that shit works, and to take care of the employees for things outside their level.

And now its documented liability too. They should be glad a real fire or some other emergency didnt happen where that gate closed with everyone evacuated. It would have been a death trap.

Im still wondering where this toady mentality of Well sorry, there is nothing I can do. Just sit tight until the morning but also do nothing to help yourself either. Cant have the door being hurt! Like what the fuck. Have some common decency.

Even my manager who flamed out of a GM position at a Jamba Juice for being a crack head had my back more than this dude did for a legit trapped employee.

Dude getting sick OT while stuck there too. Fuck his employers and manager

Alucard188 posted...

The McDonalds in Walmart near my place has an exit that you can access from inside the store in case of emergency. That McDonalds and Walmart should be fined heavily for their negligence in not providing one in store. Who the fuck decided that A PLACE THAT COOKS FOOD only needed one exit? Fucking idiots.

It may not be a McDonald's.

Local Walmart has a Subway, and it's designed in such a way that I'm not sure it has an emergency exit either (never looked though).

I've also seen similarly designed restaurants in Walmart that I don't remember seeing an Emergency Exit for.

Its likely an oversight of building codes, so the Walmart as a whole passes code because it has X amount of emergency exits but the (local) building code doesn't account for gated off parts of the store, or situations like the one in the OP

surely the building code requires some kind of emergency exit in case of fire or something similar.

this all sounds pretty suspect

Imagine your boss telling you "just wait there, don't call the fire department. I'll come save you in the morning after I get a good night's sleep."

I would definitely be finding a new job if I was told a door is more valuable than me. Maybe the door can work instead.

wtf. instantly call the cops anyway and sue. easy case right there lol.

That's really shitty, if that were me I'd be praying that they fired me. Having a slam dunk case backed up by the fire chief against 2 mega corps(I'm assuming it's a McDonald's he's talking about), you'll get a fat settlement on that.

Really the person should sue anyway.