Work not paying me! What would you do?

[Laura11111]

A day after our timesheets went to headoffice, I e-mailed my supervisor and the administrative assistant of our sector to inform them that I forgot to record some hours on my timesheet (I was sick on my last day of that pay-period). I asked that the information be forwarded to the person who handles the pay. I heard back from the administrative assistant (about an unrelated issue in the e-mail) but not from my supervisor. That was Sept 1.

 

When I received my pay on Sept 4, it seemed low so I e-mailed my supervisor again to let her know that I thought I was underpaid. No response.

 

When I got my paystub on Sept 8, I found out that I was indeed, underpaid (by 15 hours). I e-mailed my supervisor for a third time and also sent the e-mail to the administrative assistant to let them know. I asked for the information to be forwarded to someone who can deposit the difference in my account or write me a cheque. No response.

 

On Sept 9, I e-mailed the administrative assistant about an unrelated issue and then asked if she'd heard anything about the mistake on my pay. No response.

 

Today, I called my supervisor who told me that they will not cut me a cheque for the difference. It will be added on to my next paycheque.

 

Besides the fact that I had to borrow from my line-of-credit to pay some bills, here's the problem: My next paycheque will already be unusually large due to an extra day that I had to work, the fact that I get time and a half for the day because it's a holiday, and holiday pay. So...if they add anymore hours onto the paycheck, I will be taxed a higher percentage and not see any extra money.

 

Refusing to pay me now is in violation of the employment standards act, here in Ontario. I called the labour board and was told that my work cannot with-hold my pay; they must pay me now.

 

So...do I file a claim with the labour board? Do I e-mail my supervisor and tell her that I spoke with the labour board? I really need the money but I don't want to end-up on management's bad-side. That last time I kept e-mailing them about one issue that they weren't responding to, they had a meeting with me to tell me that they don't like the "tone of my e-mails". That's the way they work. They try to rule with an iron fist and intimidate their workers. That's why we're tryin get a union in!

 

Ahhhh...help!

[Laura11111]

Oh...and on top of all of this...they had the nerve to ask me to come in on my day off, yesterday, to work for someone who is sick and to volunteer for a bbq this Sunday. Grrrr....

[NightLily]

Yes, I would file a report. Is there any way to start applying for a job elsewhere?

[Cutie101]

So, you have every right to file a complain but jsut so you know there is a reason why complains are kept anonymous... in other words... so you don't get into anyone's back side.

 

It is Your fault if YOU didn't write in the amounts of hours worked.. and while they may not with hold pay they can add it to the next pay circle... they aren't with holding your pay becuase they will pay you.. they are just paying you after the fact...

things like this aren't to be taken cae of by e-mail.. nothing important is.. you grab the phone and call.

plus it is as much as your responsability to ensure tat you have down the right amoun of hours jsut like it is of your empoyers.

 

now in canada we are taxed %... it isn't based on one paycheck been larger then others it's based on how much you make a year, so more or less the amount that is taxed would have been taxed earlier.

[catfeeder]

I would view the paystub first and see if the hours were credited to the correct pay period. If so, this doesn't raise the tax for the current period, it adds a separate tax adjustment based on total hours for last period.

[Laura11111]

Right...it was my fault that I didn't write down the hours on my timesheet but...I told them about it the day after the timesheets went to head office, four days before we got paid! Also, they have a schedule. If I were to stay an hour late, they would noticed that my timesheet doesn't match-up with the schedule and ask me about it. Not to mention that my schedule has been the same for over a year.

 

Yes, they want to pay me on my next paycheque but that's the illegal part. They are supposed to pay me for what I worked during a pay-period on the scheduled pay-day. If a mistake has been make, they are supposed to pay me immediately. That's what that lady from the labour board told me.

 

The way I understand it is that we are taxed a percentage based on what we make over a year. Since they don't know how much we will make at the end of the year, they look at individual pay cheques. If I happen to work extra hours and get a huge pay cheque, they times that by how many pay periods there are in a year, assume that's what I'll make, and then tax me accordingly. So, I will loose more money to tax if they add the hours to my next pay. Make sense? Yes, I'll get it back after I file my taxes but I need the money now.

 

Now that I'm thinking about this...that might not even happen. If they add the hours to this pay period, I'll be at 102 hours. If I work anything overtime which, I think is 88 hours, they bump it to my next paycheque so they don't have to pay overtime wages. That's even worse.

 

Baaahhhh...I'm going to tell them, nicely, that I spoke with the labour board and they informed me that it is in violation of the employment standards act to hold my pay until my next paycheque.

[NightLily]

Regardless of the tax.. what if you needed the money to make rent? You should be paid on time.

[Laura11111]

Regardless of the tax.. what if you needed the money to make rent? You should be paid on time.

 

Thanks...I do need the money. I already had to borrow to pay a couple of bills that would have been covered with the money that they didn't pay me.