Imagine receiving more than 800 euros in pennies… This is the discovery made by Andreas Flaten in March 2021: his former boss had spilled 91,500 cents in his driveway, the equivalent of 0.01 coins dollar of his last salary, in the amount of 915 dollars.
In conflict with his employer
CNN reports that Andreas Flaten quit his job at the A OK Walker Autoworks garage in Peachtree City (GA, USA) in January 2021 after an argument with its owner and boss, Miles Walker.
Andreas Flaten had contacted the Labor Department the next day to warn them that Miles Walker owed him $ 915. The latter replied to the administration that he would not pay his former employee before changing his mind, seeing it as an opportunity to get rid of his pennies.
32,500 euros in damages
This revenge did not go unnoticed by the US Department of Labor, which filed a lawsuit against Miles Walker.
“By law, hiring workers with the US Department of Labor is a protected activity. Workers have the right to receive information about their rights in the workplace and to obtain the wages they have earned without fear of harassment or intimidation, ”said a district director of the division of labor. ‘Atlanta, state capital of Georgia.
The labor department is claiming $ 36,971 from A OK Walker Autoworks, or over 32,500 euros, in arrears of wages and damages on behalf of several employees, including Andreas Flaten. An investigation found Miles Walker and the workshop retaliated against and broke overtime laws by paying employees only a flat weekly rate.
The lawsuit also alleges that the auto shop failed to keep accurate pay records.