A Really bad job situation

[nok]

My Indian friend ( who also didn't get paid ) told me that we should get together and sue this guy because it was the only way we would get our (owed) salaries. He said we needed to demand our rights ( as employees) to receive what we are owed, as we worked several hours and several months for him without getting a single cent from him. He said we wasted our time in that place and by suing him, we can protect other employees from getting ripped off from him now and in the future.

He said that by suing this guy, we can prevent other potential employees from even thinking about cheating their employees because they will know, from this case, that it isn't worth it.

I told him that I was just going to let this go as I didn't want to waste anymore time about this matter and I talked to the other employees already (that also didn't get paid) and they weren't willing to go to court as witnesses to testify against this guy even though they knew he was in the wrong. The lawyer said that we won't have a case if nobody was willing to be witnesses for us. He said, the more witnesses you have, the better.If you don't have witnesses, the case will be very weak and they'll end up letting this guy go.

Thank you to everyone who responded to this post and gave me excellent advice, cheered me on, gave me a pat on the back with your kind words and lent me a listening ear. You guys and girls are awesome and I love all of you !!!!

[Odie]

Originally Posted by nok

My Indian friend ( who also didn't get paid ) told me that we should get together and sue this guy because it was the only way we would get our (owed) salaries. He said we needed to demand our rights ( as employees) to receive what we are owed, as we worked several hours and several months for him without getting a single cent from him. He said we wasted our time in that place and by suing him, we can protect other employees from getting ripped off from him now and in the future.

He said that by suing this guy, we can prevent other potential employees from even thinking about cheating their employees because they will know, from this case, that it isn't worth it.

I told him that I was just going to let this go as I didn't want to waste anymore time about this matter and I talked to the other employees already (that also didn't get paid) and they weren't willing to go to court as witnesses to testify against this guy even though they knew he was in the wrong. The lawyer said that we won't have a case if nobody was willing to be witnesses for us. He said, the more witnesses you have, the better.If you don't have witnesses, the case will be very weak and they'll end up letting this guy go.

Thank you to everyone who responded to this post and gave me excellent advice, cheered me on, gave me a pat on the back with your kind words and lent me a listening ear. You guys and girls are awesome and I love all of you !!!!

always here for you.

[nok]

Thanks Odie ! You're awesome !!!!!

[mikeinie]

You are a hero.
For teachers like you it is not a job as much as it is a vocation. Well done at lasting 5 months, but also by lasting that long they probably realized that they could push it a bit with you, I am sure there were others in there demanding their pay and threatening to quit unless they got paid. As they say the squeaky wheel gets the grease. There was probably no money left for you after they were done paying everyone else.
You did the right thing, and although disappointing you could not continue to work for free.

[nok]

Hello Mikeinie,
Thanks for your understanding and kind words. They are appreciated. You are right about the whole situation on all counts.

You are especially 100% correct in saying that I stayed on so long that I was the squeaky wheel that got the grease. I certainly was. A few days before I left, the boss "pushed" more classes on my already heavy teaching load. I stammered in shock and said (to him), "But I can't do anymore. This is already too much." He said, I'm not asking if you want to do it or not. I'm telling you to do it." That was the last straw for me. I realized at that moment that the boss was totally walking all over me and totally taking advantage of me way tooooo much (not that he wasn't doing it before ).

Yes, you are absolutely correct in saying that there were teachers ( more than just a few, actually) that came in everyday, demanding their pay and threatening to quit if they didn't get it. In the end, they got their salaries allright, with $0 left for me. What the boss said to me on my last day there really hurt, because I sacrificed soooo much of my time there, unpaid. Before I got out the door, he said ," Even if I had the money, I wouldn't pay you. You won't even get a cent from me, ever because that's what you deserve from me-nothing." When he said that, I thought, Ouch !!!!!! That really hurts. After everything I've done for his school ( for free), this is the thanks I get from him.

Mikeinie, thanks again for your post and reply to my situation. It feels good to have someone understand what I went through in that school.