With the economic situation so complicated, and even if it were okay, people simply cannot afford not to get paid. It’s impossible to lose money when utilities and taxes don’t wait for anyone, but tragically, sometimes people just can’t afford to pay them. For example, in this Reddit post, a New Jersey bartender is desperate because their boss refuses to pay his employees. This man won’t pay his bar staff because he is in debt.
Redditor msmeowmeow13 turned to r/legaladvice because this situation is untenable, and they no longer have money. This issue started two months ago when the payments became a day late every payday. Then, the boss started giving post-dated checks because he would not have money until a few days later. This continued until this week, when the OP asked for their cash daily after not receiving their payment on Monday. The boss would only say they should wait another day whenever the creator asked. Now, this New Jersey boss explained to his employees that he will put a hold on all paychecks indefinitely because he’s in a lot of debt,” so he refuses to pay anyone until he pays off his debt.
Besides that, this employer responded to any worries about the situation, saying that it would only take about two weeks or so, or they could ask their parents for money. So that’s why op asked for advice, and luckily, the users acted quickly:
Filing a wage claim with your local department of labor isn’t likely to get you made whole immediately, but it could get you a slice of the pie when your employer files for bankruptcy, which seems inevitable from your description. “He won’t pay anyone until the debts are settled”? He’s in debt to you.
scowdich
It may (I’m not an expert) be legal for you to file for unemployment, since you’re not a paid employee right now.
If the cost of transportation to work is a burden for you, definitely stop working for them for free, which is what you’re doing.
It is sad to see the OP explain that they no longer have money to commute to work and that their co-workers also work paycheck to paycheck. It will also be very difficult for any of the workers in that bar to hire a lawyer, so let’s hope that some of the Redditors’ advice will help them to get their payments soon.
