Poorly run businesses

[Rageaholic]

I normally don't post stories involving family members, but this is really making me mad. Yesterday, my brother got called for a job at a pizza delivery place. He wasn't interviewed beforehand, and he was called into work instantly (two hours notice). This seemed fishy to me, but I figured since they were just starting out, they may need help ASAP. Well it's only one day later, and he's experienced some massive fail and suck from the owners.

-They didn't give him a schedule. They just tell him "Come in this day at this time" and he doesn't know when he gets off for the day.

-No training. He's just expected to know everything. It doesn't help that the owners are foreign and don't speak very good english. So they aren't the easiest people to understand, yet they get angry when their employees have trouble understanding them. (which is an entirely different rant on it's own.)

-He's expected to make money from tips. They talked him into signing some thing that agreed to lower than min wage, but allows him 1 dollar commission based on how many deliveries he makes. The problem, he's only done 2 deliveries (and got a lousy tip both times. ). They have him doing crap like passing out fliers and doing dishes. Either they don't get many delivery requests (which is a possibility) or they are screwing him over.

Now, I don't know what the legalities of some of this stuff is, but it sounds like a real shitty and stressful place to work. And unfortunately, this isn't his first experience of this kind of fuckery.

[Andara Bledin]

Is this in the US? Because if it is, pretty much every state has laws about indoor/outdoor time for delivery drivers. No employer can make an employee agree to work for less than minimum wage except for the time they spend doing tipped activities. So, if he's spending time inside doing dishes, or outside handing out flyers and not delivering, then that time has to be paid at least minimum wage.

He needs to have a chat with his local labor board, stat.

^-.-^

[Rageaholic]

Oh I'm pretty sure he's quitting or is at least going to ask this asshole if he's planning on letting him deliver instead of handing out fliers.

And get this, it turns out that this guy is such a cheapskate that he actually charges his employees for water. Then he actually expected my brother to go out and buy something business related, and didn't even give him the money to buy it.

I hope the fuckers go out of business.

[Andara Bledin]

Report. Report. Report.

You can go a long way to making sure other, unsuspecting kids don't get screwed by reporting their behavior. There's zero chance what they're doing is completely legal, so get them shut down or have them forced to follow the law.

With the added bonus that they owe your brother money, so might as well go after it.

^-.-^

[Racket_Man]

Is this in the US? Because if it is, pretty much every state has laws about indoor/outdoor time for delivery drivers. No employer can make an employee agree to work for less than minimum wage except for the time they spend doing tipped activities. So, if he's spending time inside doing dishes, or outside handing out flyers and not delivering, then that time has to be paid at least minimum wage.

He needs to have a chat with his local labor board, stat.

^-.-^

most states do NOT have such laws although the Federal Gov (Dept of Labor )does have rules to that effect. Google DOL 20% rule for further details

having said that that particular rule is RARELY enforced by the DOL even if a complaint is made. yes there are LOTS of places that pay sub-minimum wage ALL the time for tipped delivery employees reguardless of them being inside most of the time. yes techniqically it is ILLEGAL to do so but the industry is getting away with if BIG TIME as the industry has a powerful lobbying thing going and the DOL seems to be fairly impotent when dealing with claims

the same situations occurs with servers BUT detailing tipped and nontipped time is very very hard.

the local labor board will not really do anything about this. unless you live in one of the 7 states that do NOT allow tip credit (again Google for details) you are pretty much screwed.

[Dreamstalker]

When I worked for The Jerk, I was also expected to know everything instantly...which I kinda did, I just needed to learn the quirks of the register which I wasn't given time to do. He also felt the need to constantly hover to make sure I was 'doing it right' (ie, his way).

Then he actually expected my brother to go out and buy something business related, and didn't even give him the money to buy it.

Yup, The Jerk did that to me a few times; and if I asked for reimbursement he would scrutinize the receipt and think of ways to not give me the full amount or decide that I was responsible for paying. There was no petty-cash fund in that store.

Somehow, he's still in business, although every couple months he appeals to the customers to get him out of the current financial hole and I think they're getting tired of it.

[tropicsgoddess]

That's epic fail for sure with the owners. Your brother should get the fuck outta dodge since those sucky owners are gonna do nothing but give him hell and screw him over six ways from Sunday.

[Racket_Man]

one other thing I forgot to mention in my post above:

2 month ago us drivers were FORCED to take a 25% PAYCUT for our on the road wage. most of us were earning around $7 per hour base wage (all the time) before we went to a split wage system. so my wage on the road went from $7 per hour to $5.25 per hour and my inside wage is now $7.25 (the current US minimum wage). ironically the slower we are the more money I make and the more I have to depend on tips.

not a damn thing we can/could do about it. AND our wages are frozen for the forseeable future --- meaning NO RAISES.

and this is all PERFECTLY legal and legitimage as far as the law goes