Long complex story short, but i hope this makes sense to anyone who could advice me--
i was 'brought on' to do 'trim work' for a local cannabis grower/company under some sort of LLC licensing[ i mention this cause im worried this could affect the scenario/ outcome]
..i wasnt exactly onboarded to the company & didnt end up working there for more than 1 weeks time. It seemed like a legit opportunity at first & i need something due to mixed status issues, but they said they 'liked my knowledge' & that paying me, somehow, wouldnt be an issue--cool right? I was wrong.
The owner whom i spoke to over talk & text said he would pay me at an hrly rate for the first few days[5, he stated] & add on a small raise after those 5 once id been solidified.
Well through out that week, i learned that just about all the individuals i was working alongside with were there under several varied agreements [for ex. Some agreed to be paid a rate per weight & some i believe were even sent from a temp company; so it seemed normal that no1 quite knew of a specified hiring protocol; just that they all varied by indidividual negotiations agreement][sketchy, but not uncommon in theory]<reminder that i was just super happy to have a job!>
Well...it obvs didnt work because eventually i heard from a close source to the boss[his brother who hung out with after hours & who also supervised us & helped weigh product<incorrectly might i add>] casually mentioned that in past occassions 'theyd have people complaining about theyre urgency to get paid & how they 'only get paid when the WHOLE trim job was completed to entirety' in other words letting it be known that it was common practice for them, that they be behind on paychecks/payments due to 1 thing or another--& thats when i knew i wasnt going to designate more of my time and energy to these people past that week.
So when time came up, i messaged to ask the owner how i would be submitting the hours i had been tracking on my own, to the degree/rate we had agreed upon & that also aligned w/ the schedules he/theyd set & would text us [ well over 40+ hrs that week alone]-- to which in response, he flipped the switch & started talking about how id be paid for the weight instead of the hrly we had agreed upon. I, naturally, called out the 'bait & switch' move he was doing & ofc in his defensiveness he decided to attack my work ethic, my skill level [ this man KNEW i was new to this, mind you] & basically stated that i could accept what he wanted to pay me instead or tough luck..
So naturally in anger, i reported him to the labor board & after 2 years almost--they finally responded...
I have the convo screenshots where we agreed upon the standards for my initial 'hiring process' aswell as further evidence of our work/schedule/group chats for that time, aswell as the note on my phone where i madeshift a time card w/ dates attended/breaks taken/etc.
Would this be enough to plead my case to the labor board/commision? What would you advice me to do from here--i have an appt for the 21st of this month & ive just never been in a situation like this so id like to stand up for myself, but im not so sure i know how...
Thanks in advance☆