I used to work for a puppy store. I’m in school with the end goal of being a veterinarian and this was the first ever animal related job I could get. I’m not even going to get into their suspicious business model of commodifying puppies and exploiting low income individuals. Being an employee there was horrible. I honestly believe that a lot of the things they did to us and continue to do are illegal.
To list a few things:
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I had to sign an NDA with a non-compete agreement that looked like it was written up in under 5 minutes. After I quit, I found out that in my state, employees under hourly wage cannot be subjected to non-compete agreements.
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They worked me off the clock. I was promoted to team lead AND store manager. I would get calls from both the employer and employees after my shift ended. My employer also expected us to do things unpaid, like come into the store on MIDNIGHT when puppy shipments came in. She also expected us to wash the towels in our own homes because she didn’t want to buy a washer/dryer for the store. She said whoever did so would be compensated but I don’t think they ever were.
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When I quit due to a family emergency, I worked 20 hours within that pay period. We didn’t even have a clock in system and they made us write down and keep track of our hours. I told them I worked 20 and they paid me for 15 and never fixed it.
I quit towards the end of last year. A fee days ago, I get a text from a former coworker telling me to pick up my W-2. It’s March. I told them to mail it to me instead which I know they should have done already. Apparently, employers legally have to send out W-2’s by January 31. Obviously they didn’t do that shit. I’m lucky because I don’t really need it as I didn’t make enough taxable income to file anyway. It just bothers me how they continue to get away with all this shit and it feels like they’re sending out former employee W-2’s so late just to get at us for quitting. My former coworker who quit around the same time as me lives 7 hours away now. They are doing the same to her.
I’m so sick of their shit. I’ve been told to reach out to a lawyer but fuck, I’m just a college student barely getting by. Not really sure what to do or if there’s anything to do. Just a little rant I guess.