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Sorry, But I Don't Work For Free!

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PTSDfree

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Not really looking for advice or anything... I think I've done what I can. People are sick.

I got my first job a few weeks ago as a table busser. Our paydays are meant to be on the 15th and 30th, and we were meant to be paid for training as well. It's a new restaurant, so my manager wasn't sure how many people they needed. They ended up overhiring and I was laid off two weeks later. I wasn't the only one, so I feel better about that. My manager broke the news to me on Tuesday about getting laid off. I still hadn't been paid yet. His reasoning? The restaurant is located downtown, rent is expensive, and he'll get around to it "maybe next month". This also included my tip money that I made, and he refused to give that to me as well. I live literally right across the street from this place, so I walked back home and told my dad what happened. He was really shocked that my manager would try to pull something like that. He walked over there with me and demanded that I would be paid. My manager got out my check and tip money, claimed that he just "forgot" about it, and that it's all good. That's not consistent with what he told me ten minutes before. He also claimed that the person who laid me off and said that he couldn't pay me was a different person. I opened up the envelope that went with my check, and I noticed that it didn't even have a stamp on it. They definitely weren't planning on sending it out anytime soon. The check was dated for the 16th. I think my manager tried to get away with not paying me, so he could write back to the payment company and tell them some lie like that I wasn't interested in getting the money + keep my tips for himself. I later realized that I still hadn't been paid for the work that I did past the 16th, so I sent another email to my soon-to-be-ex manager and told him that I will take legal action if he doesn't pay me for the work that I did. In my state, you're supposed to give someone their full paycheck within 24 hours of firing them. He was well past that time period, so I could sue him if I wanted to. Not to mention, he was trying to keep my tips that I had already made. We have a tip pool and I doubt he was distributing them evenly. He still had not replied to my email, so I made a sign and protested outside of their restaurant. Several people saw it and asked what happened. To put it simply, they tried to screw a young girl out of her very very first actual paycheck. The wine manager (not the one who fired me) ran outside and yelled at me saying that she was going to call the police and sue me for slander. She also gave me my check right away. The cops eventually drove up and told me that everything I was doing was ok. I still stood out there for the rest of the night because late pay in itself is a crime and sent out an email to all of my coworkers explaining what happened. My dad and I will be moving as soon as his lease ends in September. These assholes are basically my neighbors right now.

tl;dr: My now ex-boss tried to screw me out of my very first paycheck and tips. :banghead:

I've reported them to the BBB, Public Health Inspections, The Department of Labor, and a bunch of news outlets around here. No wonder why their other restaurant has so many one star reviews. I'll be telling the people who own this building about what happened too.
 
Yeah it's not uncommon really. Employers are always trying to screw employees out if money.

One time I friend of mine was telling me he was working somewhere and hadn't been paid yet. He was there for 3mnths.

I've has similar things and have to say look I'm not coming in until I get paid. Funny how quickly they sort shit out when you do something like that. Someone else I know a job because of bullying and they screwed her out of her last pay check, it was a massive company too. I could think of loads more. It does happen, but you did right you have to stand up fir yourself or they would've taken the piss.

Arse holes. Sorry you had to deal with this bullshit. I don't know what the hell they think. Like you said we don't work for free.
 
In my state, you're supposed to give someone their full paycheck within 24 hours of firing them.

Im 35 and have worked in 4 States, Ive never heard that in my life. Some pay ahead in a pay period and some pay behind in a pay period but its generally at the end of the pay period when payroll is done.

Tips are done differently in places but never heard of the paycheck 24 hr law thing.

I agree though, it happens. It sucks but it happens. Sorry it happened.
 
@NoWhereKnowWhere Thank you.
@lostforgottensoul I live in Colorado. I can't link to it here, but their government website has an article on final pay. It's six hours for those who manage payment on site, or twenty-four hours for those who don't. I wasn't sure where they did their financial stuff, so I gave them a little more than entire day until I sent out my email demanding full payment.
@ladee Yep! I've decided that I'll work part-time for two different employers when I get my next jobs, so I won't have to be too dependent on one or the other. Plus, in the case that someone would try to screw me over again, I could just quit there and take on extra shifts + work full timeish until I found another part-time job. I'll also be setting up a Roth IRA this week because compound interest is awesome and I don't want to deal with people like that for life. I've been using Photoshop and Illustrator since I was eight, and I want to use those skills and setup an Etsy shop too. I have a bunch of designs for greeting cards and small furniture type things that I've been working on. In the case that I ever find myself freelancing, I really think it could help build up my portfolio. It seems kinda worthless so have so much experience in graphic design and not make use of it anyway. My goals for this summer are to figure out how to produce those things onto paper, learn how to drive, and possibly find another job or volunteer again. I volunteered in data entry for awhile and it felt really rewarding. It was for a nationwide study and they even featured me in their contributors list.

I'll be paying extra attention to my bank account for the next few days. I kinda hope that my now ex management team wrote me a bad check, so I can get them into even deeper trouble. :giggle:
 
The first lesson I learned when I first entered the workforce.

Always keep track of your hours.

It's incredible how much money many people never realize they are owed and not paid.

Whether it's a small buisness, or huge corporation, one thing always rings true. You don't get rich by writing cheques.

Good for you for standing up for yourself and getting your pay.
 
As a former long-term restaurant worker (server and bartender), I can tell you there are a lot of shucksters and scumbags in the industry. I'm sorry that happened to you - hope you find something better soon!
 
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