This is kind of a long one so…deep breathe*
First and foremost, I (M32) love my DROID. Say all you want about iPhone superiority, but my DRIOD is my best fucking friend after today…
So let's go back to 2020….
I was working a FT government job, in the medical field. Ambulance work, mostly 911, nights, loved it. Finally, after years of bartending, waiting tables, any and every minimum wage job you could get, while I tried to juggle school to progress my wage, but fell short because of exhaustion from working full-time and school full-time…I finally had a “livable wage” ($33k/year with benefits). Nothing fancy, but I wasn't worried about my next meal, rent, and I was even able to take my GF to Orlando after 2 years with no vacation. (healthcare…gotta love it).
Shortly before the Orlando trip, I was approached with an incredible offer from a long time associate. He was starting a business and “NEEDED” my “specific” skill set. Not just my medical work, but all the other skills I had acquired through my years of grinding the gutters for pennies. I would not only be doing medical work, but be able to do research and case studies into ground breaking medical treatments. (I can't specify the treatments because of identifiable information, but it's groundbreaking research into MH). LTA makes an offer “$44k plus full benefits”. Wow, that's a dream come true for someone like me. With that I could finish college in my desired field, while still being able to save and build a future. I accept.
I was so ecstatic about the new opportunity I started with my end of what had to be met to receive the offer:
1) I had to move my residence 200miles north to a different state.
2) I had to take an online medical course to upgrade my current certification before the doors of the place opened.
In march2021 I moved my residence, found PT work bartending at a local tourist spot to make ends meet while the business was in the process of opening doors. My feet killed me every night, like pain I had never felt before, even after working 12hr shifts on the ambulance. Still I pushed since the future was bright as I was told by my future boss.
August2021 hits, and the LTA calls and tells me the building for the office has been found and I need to put in my 2 weeks with my bartending job, currently my only source of income ($200-300/week in tips). I'm hungry, I'm tired, but “the future is bright” so I push having now both jobs for that 3 week period. Feet feeling like they've been crush, getting 3 or less hours of sleep a night.
LTA pays me cash finally in the area of what I was offered. Everything good. I'm the sole employee of this company, so I've got all the hours, all the money, but no time for myself. Whatever, I'm about to finish my course, get that $44k salaries I was promised multiple times, in front of witnesses, texted…multiple times.
Weeks go by, I'm getting ready to travel to a major city for 8 days to test nationally for my medical cert, spending $4k for all the living expenses for those 8 days (what city is this?!?! its a major one, pretty much based on tourism and excesss, if that drops any hints, not a weekend in Branson if you catch the sarcasm) Prior to this LTA comes and says I have to go on payroll cause of “tax purposes”…However it wasn't the pay I was getting,… it was minimum wage for the state I'm in, and taxes took about 50%. I now had to clock 50+ hours just to make rent and bills… this is days before the “Business trip”.
I had to take out a loan. First time ever. Not as much as student loans, but around the around of about $2k coming from various sources. Note: I have no debt. Paid for college as I went, bout cars with cash. Have only had 1 credit card ever…
Chalk it up to “whatever”. Gonna get this cert, gonna get this salaries…”it'll buff out” as my old medic partner use to say.
Here is where it gets all fucked up….
I returned from the trip, passed my cert first time, like a boss. Was met with, “you need these 3 other licenses before we will pay you what was promised”….okay? but like I did the thing, and now id like to not starve anymore…too fuckin bad. So I get the licenses. We Open. I'm the only employee. I literally do everything, but consult because I'm not a Doc. Its now DEC2021 still on minimum wage, and they finally show me a “contract”, except the contract is vague…Like super vague.
I'm pretty much an indentured servant to the owners “will do anything asked above and beyond” was about the wording, Shitty benefits…that I'm paying for out of my own pocket. So not really benefit they just gave me a piece of paper and said you should get this health plan with the low payments, high deductible, oh but theres an HSA they will *unspecified “put into”. The salary has also been cut, from $44k to $37.5.
Other specifics were:
– I can be fired on whim for anything.
– I'm on call 24/7 365 for ANYTHING from medical work, patient relations, and even…get this…their own personal child care….
– I owe them a “vacation debt” of 2 weeks worth, that I have to earn back before leaving or I will monetarily owe them that debt. Not counting the time prior to this contract, or any of the work or things I did to get this job.
-My responsibilities will increase covering those of one of the EOs, until I just take on their workload (no mention of grooming for higher level, just this is what is expected for this “gracious” offer they've come up with.)
-If I need a second job, I need permission from them to even think about it, as they own all my time now.
This wasn't brought up in a meeting. LTA and EO are married, this meeting took place in their living room, with no legal counsel, and the narrative was obviously manipulated to not leave any room for objection to the terms. They knew they had me….
Prior to this all agreements were verbal, or text. I had nothing to stand on. and if they let me go, I would not survive the place I was now in. Between my debt from the education expenses for the job, and the shit pay, I was negative in my bank acct every Monday before the Friday I would be paid.
I was trapped. With no room to negotiate. No leverage. Its now Feb2022. My “salary” should start this Friday. The first time I will get paid anything close to the original offer. Honestly I've got my doubts its gonna happen.
So here is where my DROID comes in….
I either need to figure out how to separate from them without incurring anymore debt, or make them pay me what was offered.
Well to do the ladder…I'd need proof…
Proof that:
1) The original offer was made, and then changed.
2) The debt I incurred getting the certs and moving cities to received this job was made at the request of them.
3) That I fulfilled everything I agreed to
4) Basically they committed what we in the Biz-Biz call “fraud” over the bases of my employment agreement.
There's other things I could use, but to protect myself from them, I need to play by the book. Which wouldn't have to happen if they would have just “played by the book” for being decent people. not just good bosses. Just lack of empathy and an excess of selfishness.
Extremely long story summed up…
I have the texts.
I have the emails.
I have 3rd party witness to the original offer.
I have everything I want and more because my indestructible Galaxy10, fuckin workhorse 62g memory kept EVERYTHING.
It even has the first mention of me heading to meet my GF for our first date. (She lived in the city I was moving to for the job. We met prior to the offer, through mutation friends of the LTA.)
Bottom Line…This payday Friday…Is a make a break moment for them before I say fuck it and lawyer up.