Yer outta here, punk!

Well there's been new developments in my conflict with Mount Washington, that I think are best summed up in this complaint I just filed with Labour Relations:

At orientation on Dec 2, we were told we wouldn't be paid for that day because it was considered a 'final interview', even though we'd already been hired, were filling out payroll sheets, and neither of my supervisors were present. Also every single person that was there is still there, there were no more cuts that needed to be made, so calling it an interview (a 6hr interview) is really stretching it. I started asking management why we weren't getting paid. I talked to a payroll ladie about whether we should be paid, then I asked the president of the company who i could talk to and he pointed me to my supervisors' supervisor. My supervisor's supervisor told me I'd have to talk to my actual supervisors, but neither of them were around (not much of an interview without any supervisors present). I went to another payroll lady and tried to reason with her that since we weren't being paid, attendence couldn't be mandatory, but she patronized me and made it sound like it was all perfectly legal. I got impatient with her, but I don't think I crossed the line, and I certainly didn't make a scene. She asked me my name, but assured me she wouldn't get me in trouble (bald-faced lie). Today, Dec 5, I was supposed to go to a training session where I had planned to talk to my supervisor about the issue and serve them a Request for Payment Form. Before I left for the training, my supervisor called, telling me he was firing me (or 'withdrawing the employment offer' as he put it). His reasons were twofold. First, he claimed that I'd showed up late, and that he looked for me and couln't find me. The truth is that I was on the staff bus and showed up at the exact same time as anyone else, and I myself had looked for both supervisors to introduce myself and neither of them were there all day. Later on he dropped his claim that I was late and also no longer claimed to have been looking for me. The second reason I was fired is because of the way I acted the day of orientation. He said I'd been told by all 4 people I'd talked to, that I had to talk to him (my supervisor). This isn't true, the only person that told me that, was his supervisor. He said I obviously couldn't follow instructions and that he didn't want me as an employee. He also maintained that they've been conducting final interviews like this for years, thus admitting they've been illegally not paying their employees (hundreds of them) for orientations for a long time. I told him I would be sending a Request for Payment Form and filing a complaint. I talked to him later in the day to get some information and he said that the payroll department had decided that they 'wanted' to pay me afterall (after realizing I wasn't going to back down). However, he wasn't prepared to offer me my job back. It is my opinion that I was fired for voicing concerns over the non-payment issue, as I don't believe I handled the issue in such a manner that warranted being fired. I do realize that this is a case of my story versus their's, and there will undoubtably be discrepancies. Something that I think is worth considering is the fact that this was all started because they broke the law. In an assault case, it matters who threw the first punch. Now this is different I know, but they did throw the first punch by breaking the law, which led to me talking to staff, which led to me getting fired. They didn't seem like they were going to pay me, until they realized I was sending them the paperwork that could have gotten them in trouble. I have yet to send the actual Request for Payment form, but I talked to my supervisor about it and notified them that I would be sending it, and I plan on faxing it in the morning as a formality and for the purpose of due process. I have not filled out the boxes above regarding wages owed, because my employer claims that a cheque is now in the mail.
I thank you for your consideration in this manner.


So I'm pretty choked that my ski season is now non-existent, that I'm still 26hrs short of qualifying for EI, and just that I didn't keep a cool composure. I don't think I was that rude to the one lady. Anyways, I have no idea how this will play out, but I guess the only thing I can do is start looking for another job. I knew what the consequences were and I'm prepared to pay the price.