[Worker Testimonial #1] 3rd St. Diner Phone Blast for Lost Wages
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World R-IWW
This is a ‘worker testimonial’ from Kendra N. in the campaign against ‘wage theft’ at 3rd St. Diner. If you worked for Mr. Polyaris and have a work story you would like to share? Please consider submitting your testimonial here: [ http://tinyurl.com/85ezo5g ]
To view the call to action visit [ http://richmondiww.org/2012/04/14/direct-action-demand-unpaid-wages-for-worker-at-3rd-st-diner/ ]
I was last hired at 3rd Street Diner in June of 2011. I responded to a Craigslist ad that had been posted for the diner needing a hostess, so I went in for an interview and was hired on the spot and started work the next day. Pay was discussed and I was told I would be making $7.25/hour (minimum wage for a hostess). I worked the late shift every night from 12-8 AM, and my job was to greet customers, hand out menus, make sure tables were clean, and work the cash register.
Many nights I was asked to come in early, and stay late, without a time sheet. Without a time sheet, it was my word against theirs, which obviously only could have one outcome at the time. After about a week or working, I was told by another manager that I wasn’t a hostess, and that I would need to start waiting tables. I talked to the hiring manager and again was told I was wrong even though I had the email from the details of the ad I responded to and the interview. He told me I must have been confused, and that the hostess position was for another club. My interview took place in the diner, so that was obviously not true.
After a week of work I collected my paycheck (late) on a Thursday. The amount on the check was roughly $130. At the bottom where the check should have been was a stub that read “THIS IS NOT A CHECK”. $80 of the check had been taken out for “taxes”, and another $35 for meals, when I had never even eaten food from there while I worked. The remainder of the check was subtracted for “tip outs”. I wasn’t working as a waitress, so this was especially surprising. I asked around a bit, because I was honestly confused by the check at first. I called and got the run-around too many times and was not given any answers. Later, I went back to 3rd street to ask about why I wasn’t being paid and I was being charged for things I shouldn’t have. Still no answer from any of the staff, so I filed a complaint with the Dept. of Labor but eventually lost my stub so it fell through.
3rd Street has a history of labor violations (sanitation, wages, hiring, and more) and I’m not the first person to have this problem. Many complaints have been filed but this is still continuing, let them know how you feel about this. Call, email, or go in person. [click here]
Kendra N.
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World • P.O. Box 7055 • Richmond, Virginia 23221-0055
(e) richm...@gmail.com • (w) www.richmondiww.org • (p) 804-496-1568
Richmond Industrial Workers of the World R-IWW
This is a ‘worker testimonial’ from Keith P., a former cook and bouncer for Mr. Polyaris, in the campaign against ‘wage theft’ at 3rd St. Diner. If you worked for Mr. Polyaris and have a work story you would like to share? Please consider submitting your testimonial here: [ http://tinyurl.com/85ezo5g ]
To view the call to action visit [ http://richmondiww.org/2012/04/14/direct-action-demand-unpaid-wages-for-worker-at-3rd-st-diner/ ]
I was employed by the Pyliaris Corporation from 1991 to 2003. During most of that time I worked at 3rd St Diner as a cook. During those years, I saw countless numbers of employees deprived of wages that were rightfully and legally owed to them. The restaurant and nightclub industries have a high turnover rate and often employees who worked for Pyliaris for a short period of time would be unpaid if they were only owed a single paycheck. Waitresses would often not receive their minimum wage as required by law but would be forced to work for tips only. Employees who worked overtime would be deprived of overtime pay.
Pyliaris was able to get away with this because most of his employees were either naïve young people or persons with limited education or socioeconomic advantages and who were not expecting to be taken advantage of in this way. Consequently, they did not understand the necessity of documenting the number of hours worked, saving old paycheck stubs, etc. in case they needed to bring a complaint to the Department of Labor concerning unpaid wages. Therefore, most complaints against Pyliaris ended up being a matter of his word against theirs.
I generally avoided conflicts of this type as I had a positive working relationship with Mr. Pyliaris’ father and was therefore considered “hands off” regarding these kinds of labor practices. However, when Mr. Pyliaris father relocated to Greece towards the end of my tenure with the Pyliaris Corp. things began to change. At the time, I was a bouncer/manager at one of Mr. Pyliaris gentleman’s clubs, The Candy Bar, and I typically worked 80 hours a week. I accumulated a good number of overtime hours for which I was owed back pay at overtime rates but was never paid. Fortunately, I had long been aware of Pyliaris’ unethical and illegal labor practices and had fully documented the number of hours I had worked and what I was owed. I filed a complaint with both the federal and state departments of labor and Pyliaris was ordered to compensate me. Further, a general investigation of Pyliaris’ labor practices was conducted and Pyliaris was likewise ordered to go back and pay a good number of other former employees past wages that were owed to them. This investigation transpired in 2003.
Mr. Pyliaris had essentially made a career out of depriving employees of wages that are rightfully owed to them. I know of no one who has ever worked for Pyliaris who has not complained of this issue or been aware of it. Additionally, Pyliaris has engaged in the sexual harassment of female employees. I know of at least one former employee who filed a lawsuit over such a matter in the mid-1990s. Pyliaris has also been arrested on numerous occasions for gratuitous assaults of patrons of his establishments when an altercation has occurred and has even been imprisoned for such conduct on at least one occcasion. [click here]
Keith P.