Social worker sacked for complaining to OSHA, still gets paid a salary for 10 years after getting forgotten entirely: ‘They still paid her and she kept quiet’

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jun 23, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Karma will get payback on your behalf… at least, that's what many of us wish for when we work for a stuck-up, exploitative boss.

June, a now elderly woman who spent her life working as a social worker, was actually able to see karma play out in real-time with her final job before retirement. Working as a contract employee (a 'casual' employee) for a school, June was continually spread thin with little pay, no benefits, and a crooked boss. Although her contract stated she would have no more than 6 at-risk students, she constantly had a classroom of 20+ kids and, as a result, quickly burnt out. 

Finally, she complained to her boss, begging to become a full-time employee so that she could enjoy the benefits of employment while also having a teacher's aid and other assistance in the classroom, but her boss refused. Instead, he fired her for 'complaining too much' and dared her to see if anyone else on the school board would care. Okay, bet. 

Well, June did just that. She complained to their country's version of OSHA and saw her entire department get fired in her wake. Amidst the hooplah, she herself got forgotten on payroll and received a salary check and full benefits for 10 years. Scroll for all the details of this juicy story of malicious compliance and karmic payout.

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  • 01
    "Ten years wages!"
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    Complain to everyone about your work if you must but your done working here equals ten years wages!
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    So every morning I walk my dog at the off lead dog park. As it's a small town all the dog walkers have become friendly. I (mid 40s) made friends with June (75-80). June told me this lovely MC story from About 25 years or more ago.
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    June was working as a school teacher and was retraining as a social worker. She left teaching for two years working as a social worker when her previous school asked her and run a class for at risk children.
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    The job was causal, so she didn't get paid for holidays, sick leave etc. she was supposed to teach six kids with an Aide but ending up with twenty kids and no teachers aide. As you can imagine
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    their behavior was terrible. She believed she could help and she said she did make some real differences. The work was really stressful but she was passionate about it.
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    After three years and multiple promises of making her a permanent staff member, getting an aide plus smaller classes June was burnt out. She demanded help from the principal who
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    refused and told her since she has complained, it's for the last time and sacked her. He told her she is causal and she go complain to everyone and everywhere but as a casual worker you have little rights.
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    So June did complain to everyone, school Inspector, the union, department of education ( it was a state school) and even her local Member of parliament who told her she has had a tough deal
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    but this is the life of a casual worker. She finally complained to the state authority that deals with safe work practices. They were interested as the school has breached state policy
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    on class sizes for special needs kids, teacher aides, providing a safe environment etc. they ordered the department of education to pay her worker's compensation while they sorted it
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    out. So now June was paid each fortnight including leave and all benefits. 52 weeks a years instead of 40. The fallout was big after the investigation, lots of people sacked or moved on. What this
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    did was leave June without a boss. The safe work practice department closes the case as they believe it was now a dept of education matter to pay June out.
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    June and she got lost in government paperwork. They still paid her and she kept quiet. It took ten years before they found her in an employee audit. Then they paid her out. June was ready to retire about then so it worked out beautifully.
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    mcn2612. 7 hr. ago Haha! I worked for a Fortune 500 that was bought out by a Fortune 100. I then took a job at a different company. About 5 years later I ran into one of my old co-workers. He
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    said after the merger he kept going to work, but had no supervisor and did not "belong" to any division. He just went to work everyday to his same desk and received a paycheck for about 2 years and then got scared and retired.
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    Milled Oats OP. 5 hr. ago We had a restructure at the hospital I work at. There was a staff member who got basically forgotten. Kept getting paid as a low level manager but had no duties. So he found some tasks to do and so did them. And gave himself a new title. Next
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    restructure a couple years later when management were counting people or/and job titles he emailed someone and told them they have missed his job and he got added back on with anew title.
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    Griffon2112. 3 hr. ago · edited 1 hr. ago Many many moons ago I was receiving unemployment benefit ( the "dole") for me, my wife and two children (Great Britain) of about £200 a fortnight. When my wife and I split I went to the dole office and told them immediately. The next cheque that
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    came through was the same so I went to the dole office and asked them to check. After about 20 minutes I was assured that it was correct. I took the name of the checker, wrote it down with a brief explanation and asked if they would sign it. The refused.
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    I did the same for the next three cheques the only difference was the last time I went in I told them it would be the last time I came in and the checker signed my note.
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    Jump forward a year or so and I get a letter saying that I owed the dole office £X amount. I went in and presented my notes and it was dropped. I made every effort so not my fault.
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    Wenchpie 8 hr. ago And she didn't have to pay the money back? Vote Reply Share Red12343 8 hr. ago Why would she? If they never fired her or told her she was off leave and to report to work then there's nothing for her to repay.
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    Milled Oats OP. 8 hr. ago No as she hasn't done anything wrong. There was an audit about ten or more years ago of the states 400,000 public servants and found a couple thousand either doing nothing or on long term worker's compensation. All them sacked and paid out.
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boss worker social worker employee manager job malicious compliance work coworkers working ceo teacher employees supervisor social work osha workplace company coworker business karma
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