I joined this sub some time ago, and am amazed at the stuff that goes on. Well, now here I am, with my own issue. Technically, not MY issue but still.
My partner started working for a company about 2 months ago. There were red flags all over the place, but he kept insisting that the owners were so nice (ikr?) He was supposed to be their customer service person, answering emails and calls. He was told he needed to start in the warehouse, packing items, to understand the business. Fine. After 2 weeks of this, there was some realization that this wasn't entirely true. This is a third party warehouse and shipping company and they are backed up. Like waaaay backed up. Shipping containers full of items are dropped off at the warehouse, many of these items are fragile and expensive and require special packaging. Another problem: they have no packaging supplies. They ran out of supplies, and he and the handful of coworkers have to scavenge the shipping floor for cardboard scraps to construct boxes. But for whatever reason, he stuck with them. And another reason he was still working in the warehouse is because they haven't been able to construct an office, but even if they did, they still don't even have phones installed. They asked him if he was okay with supplying his mobile number for some google thing where the calls would be forwarded to him. He declined.
Got his first paycheck some time ago, about a week late. One excuse after another from the owner, that the bank messed up, they were going with ADP for direct deposit, blah blah blah. After getting his check, he was told he couldn't cash it yet. It was two weeks before he was able to deposit his check. This has been going on since he started. At one point, the owner sent out a group text message asking people to be patient, and decried the threats against her and her family (they all work there) that she had received. She also said that the labor board was aware of the situation and working with her on it.
Anyway, the last pay deposit was late. He received a notification from the bank that it was going to be held for 5 days. Apparently it bounced. On top of that, there is some kind of bank thing that happens, where a business or account can be flagged, and all funds received from that bank automatically go on hold? So after the waiting period, the bank attempted to deposit funds again, but could not, due to insufficient funds from the company. So now my partner got dinged with a $15 penalty.
That was the last straw for him. He called and texted the owner. No response. Today he told them that he quit and walked out, that he was not there to work for free. In addition to the unpaid wages from the bounced checks, he is due to be paid for another 2 weeks of labor.
Can somebody offer some advice, just point in the right direction? I read other posts on here about contacting labor lawyers, but if that is going to cost more than the wages, it won't be worth it. And are there special lawyers, or do we just look for any one for a free consultation?
BTW…we are in PA.