In October, Michelle was hired by the Iowa City VA Medical Center to teach Zumba. It was a big hit and they asked her to add another class. Rather than hiring her as a VA employee, she was hired as a contract employee (as she should have been). The process by which she would get paid was, of course, convoluted. She was required to set up a special business account at a local bank that cost her $50 to set up and has a $20 monthly fee. Her pay was adjusted to pay for the monthly fee but the problem is THAT SHE HASN'T BEEN PAID IN THREE MONTHS. The VA owes her over $500 dollars and there is no pay date in sight. She keeps getting a different story but no one will take any responsibility. I have written to the Iowa City VAMC Director, my Senator, and my Congressman. Any other ideas?
5 comments:
She's more patient than I would be. I'd tell her to threaten to quit or tell all of her class members what's going on and that she'll be out for a while til it's fixed. Maybe they will speak up for her too. That's just ridiculous they've done that! I hope this gets worked out asap!
I agree with Chelsey. That is nuts that they aren't paying her.
I wouldn't work for them one more day. Could you file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or is the VA Medical Center exempt?
If you had a program there on TV like we do out here maybe you could get some help. You call this guy that checks out complaints about companies or products. Then they do a segment on the news and believe me, it gets attention. It's called "Get Gephardt." (His last name is Gephardt.)
It's actually a long complicated story, much longer than I want to write out and it's really hard to understand. It took me 5 days just to understand this whole mess myself. Long Story much shorter, my boss today at the VA, who didn't have control over getting me paid because she had turned in my invoices, it was someone above her that didn't do their job which is why my paychecks were being held up. Apparently it's a 4 step process to get Vendors paid at the VA and that is what I am, since I'm not officially hired by the VA, I'm hired on the side. Anyway she called her boss today and told him she was paying me cash out of her pocket for all that was owed to me unless he had a better suggestion. I was asked to write up a new invoice, this time for all three months combined as an invoice for the Quarter and I will get paid all that is owed to me on Dec. 22nd, then I get a $10 an hour raise in January to cover all fees and to give me extra. So in the end, IF I actually see payment on the 22nd, then it will mean it all actually worked itself out.
What? Someone in the federal government didn't do their job? Unbelievable. Well, actually, not that crazy an idea. I see it all the time. Luckily, it doesn't usually mean I am shorted money like you've been for the last three months. Glad some progress is happening. -Jess
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