I would like to relate an experience i had this summer with you. Last year, as I returned home for the summer, I knew I needed a job. My "little" brother had been working for a company called The Curb Man, a masonry company, building a verterans memorial behind the Collingwood musem, for about 2 weeks. He was being paid 10 dollars an hour, and working long days. Very physical work, and the chance to learn a trade for free. Sign me up. Thing was... Luke got the job from Chris, one of his friends that had been working for three weeks. Chris had been payed once already, in cash, after two weeks of work. Luke hadnt seen a cent, but payday was coming up. Payday came and went, and Luke was told that he wouldnt be payed until the next pay period, to keep the books clean. Simple enough, Ive had plenty of jobs like that. Sign me up, I thought. When i arrived on the site, to ask the boss for a job, I found two 19 year old boys scraping masonry glue off of 30 pound bricks. The boss was nowhere to be found, he had told them that the wall they were building wasnt straight, and that they had to do it again. For the third time.
I returned the next day to find the boss, and asked for a job. He told me to come at 7:00 the next morning, and that we worked until sundown. Fair enough.
Showed up the next day, and he produced a peice of paper, and told me to sign. I did, stupidly, and then got to work. The work was hard, but im a sadist when it comes to hard work, and I loved it. Everyday the boss showed up at 7, and left at 8, returning periodically to make sure that we werent slacking. It was the first time I had ever worked with my brother, and I have to say, that next to me... hes the hardest worker I have ever met. The boss noticed this right away, and promptly fired Chris, Lukes friend, thinking that I was a much better deal. Bigger and stronger, as well as willing to work myself to the bone for 10 dollars an hour.
It occured to me to ask for a copy of the contracts that both my brother and I had signed. He seemed annoyed, but produced it on my second day of work. When i took it home to show my parents... they were pissed. My brother hadnt even mentioned a contract, and some of the clauses contained within were unreal. A 1500 dollar training fee was due to the Curb man, upon termination of the contract. I asked the boss about this, and he told me that "some former employees had taken the training that he gave them, formed their own companies, and then unercut his contracts." Fair enough... I guess.
My mom works at the hospital. She networks. She knows many, many people in our town. She asked around, and heard bad things about the Curb man. He had trouble keeping his employees, because he had issues with PAYING his employees. Seeing the contract was the last straw. I didnt really wanna work my fourth 11 hour day in a row, and Luke sure didnt wanna work his 16th 11 hour day in a row. We decided that we would sleep in an extra three hours, and then go tell him that we quit. I made my dad promise to wait for us to get up.
He didnt. Someone fucked with his boys, so he went to the jobsite with a baseball bat. He told the curbman that he would pay us, or he would fuck him up. Fact, he had more than half a mind to fuck him up anyway. The curb man told my dad he would sue him if he hit em, and my dad left, point made. You have to remember that my dad is older. He comes from a time when respect was earned, and people that fucked with yer family deserved what he got. One of my boyscout leaders, about the same age as my dad, told me a story. A boy had been sexually abused by one of his leaders. (Not in my town) When my leader heard of this, he called the father of the boy, got in his truck and drove over to the house of the offender, and smashed the shit out of him. Broke every bone in his body, nearly killed him. Things were handled in a differnt manner in the past, and im sorry its gone. Fightin was one on one, and you took yer licks as they came.
This was the last time my dad felt himself, and were all pretty sure this was when his second heart attack was. I remember coming downstairs and seeing him at the table.. looking very gray, very old. Fixed that tho :)
Anyway... I went to ask the curbman for my paycheck (like a cocky bastard... i thought the whole thing was quite amusing.. i love revenge) and i was told that I wouldnt see a cent. Neither would Luke. Okey.. time fer the big guns.
The memorial we were building was for the verterans of all the wars weve had up to this point. My grampa is a vet. So are all his friends. So are all their friends. The memorial was to be done in time for verterans day, and there was to be a big celebration. This was all to happen two days after we quit. It was a town job, and the curb man was to be payed 200 000 dollars for it. He owed me 330 bucks, and my brother 1700 somethin. Minus prolly 50 grand for the materials, and he still comes out waaaaay on top. My mom called the mayor, who used to be our public school principal. She told him that we would goto the memorial service wearing placards that read "We are Doc Wilsons grandkids. We have not been payed for building this for you." We would be in the paper for sure, and there would be 500 odd veterans very, very pissed. We would singlehandedly ruin the whole affair, we wanted our money. The mayor had our money the next day.
My dad and my brother and I went to the ceremony to watch grampa. My dad stood on one of the walls that we built and stood there wavin and winkin at the Curb Man. My dad has a wicked sense of humor, if he ever lets you see it. He aint afraid of SHIT. Didnt stop there though. My mom called the safety board, and got inspectors onto his job site. She did this periodically throughout the summer, costing him thousands in fines. My dad had to be stopped from burning his house down, or filling his tractors full of sugar, and this seemed to calm his vengeful side. We thought we had won.
So... my mom calls me tonite. The curb man has sent me a bill stating that i owe him 4500 dollars for training and related costs. My brother got an identical bill. My mom should really stop opening my mail. Still... I worked for the fucker for three days, signed his illegal ass contract in pencil, and recieved no training whatsoever. Its not even a letter, just a bill. You owe me this much. 4500 dollars. NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS BETWEEN THE TWO OF US. Lol. Its like this man expects to recieve two cheques for 4500 dollars in the mail, no questions asked. He is quite clearly insane. I can see myself in court now.... Yer honor... I have 700 dollars in my bank account, and rent is due next week. I am a student, and this man is THE DEVIL.
My mom is pissed. He has the same type of arthritis that she does, and she knows that stress aggravates it. She does what she can to make sure the man is in constant pain. He will have to watch the next time he goes to the hospital. Everyone does eventually.
Anyway.. for the mean time... he has a toll free #. Toll Free: 1-887-455-0561. Feel free to drop him a line if yer not busy. Dont mention my name tho, as Im sure ill have to goto court eventually. I was thinkin that maybe one of those big trees on his lawn would make a good christmas tree. Dont put it past me. I come from very vengeful parents.
