Please help, my daughter with Aspergers is being screwed by Dollar General in Jaffrey NH

[Robyn66]

Hi All,
My daughter got her first job ! YAY! EXCEPT it was with Dollar General in Jaffrey NH.

Long story short, payday is Friday but she hasn't been paid on Friday. Up until the last two weeks (she has worked for them about 5 weeks) SHE gets her direct deposit on Tuesday. BUT the last two weeks she hasn't been paid at all. She is the only person with this problem. She is the only person with Aspergers working for Dollar General in Jaffrey NH.

What I need help with is this.

I know we need to file a wage complaint with the New Hampshire Labor Board

But who else can we file complaints with, I think there is discrimination here, she has definitely been treated differently.

I want a microscope put on this company and I want them to squirm under it.

My daughter worked very hard for them. She has given her notice, I made her quit. Next week is her last week but under the circumstances, I don't feel she should work a day until she is paid for the last two weeks.

I am furious and want to make them pay! Should I get a labor lawyer? Dollar General is notorious for being a terrible employer but someone needs to hold them accountable and if we can do our part to force them to stop playing around with their employees the so be it.

I hope to get a lot of help from you folks. I really think they felt they could do what they wanted to the kid with Aspergers. Well, not my kid!

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Have you talked to them directly?

If you haven't done so already, she or you should write a letter stating what you believe to be the case - not accusing them of anything, but just stating that she hasn't been paid in the last two weeks. See what the response is. You'll need something documenting that you informed them of the issue before this goes anywhere, I suspect.

On second thought, before you send the letter, talk to them and give them a chance to fix the problem.

It's possible that it's just a screw up and they'll fix it. Or it's possible that they're swine. One step at a time...

[elleng]

2. Good ideas.

[NYC_SKP]

3. Yes. A face to face resolution would be of greater value to all, and quicker. And...

And if unsuccessful, would give you the backup you need to say "I tried everything".

It would be great if they could be convinced to make necessary accommodations and for your daughter to keep the job at least a while longer.

If you can avoid the bureaucratic tangle of your other plan, I think it would be well worth it.

Good luck!

[Robyn66]

4. Daughter-and thank you :) nt

[NYC_SKP]

5. Doh! I was thinking of my SO's son, who also suffers from aspergers.

They go month's without contact but she got a call tonight!

[Jim Lane]

6. Screwup is the most likely explanation

If her AS manifested on the job in a way that convinced the employer she couldn't perform acceptably, she'd just be fired (and Dollar General would pay the two weeks' wages, likely to be a pittance). My guess is that somebody doing data entry transposed two digits in her SSN, or the like.

The second-most likely explanation is that Dollar General frequently screws new hires this way (i.e., again it has nothing to do with AS). Cheating your daughter out of two weeks' pay wouldn't be worth it to the company, but breaking the law would be worth it as part of a more general scheme. Perhaps the plan is to overhire, make a cull, and just stop paying the ones who don't make the cut, so they'll quit. Saving two weeks' wages on one new hire after another, over time, might be enough money to tempt Dollar General to violate the law. Ideally, you or your daughter or a lawyer or an investigator for the state wages-and-hours enforcement body would find a whole bunch of people who recently worked short stints at dollar General, and find out whether those employees were paid. If this has happened repeatedly, that's critical evidence (possible class action).

[civilrights4all]

7. As a Aunt of a nephew with Aspergers ...

Hello, I'd go straight to the NH Discrimination law center. I am not sure what it is called since I live in MA. Google it. I have been in that Jaffrey store and I believe I have met your lovely daughter. Let the state organization do an investigation. It's free to file and if you do not get the proper and timely action, go to the federal level. Let the pro's do their job. They are being paid by US. If you have done the face to face .. write down EVERYTHING. Most people, most employees no nothing about Aspergers. She has writes under the FEDERAL discrimination LAW. See what happens ... maybe even have a free consulation with an EMPLOYMENT LAWYER. They might take this on for damages ... loss of work ... emotional trauma are damages. Good luck! It's a process but it you .. and its' me and everyone else who can help others by bringing these events to the public. I am a person with a disability. Blessings.