Summer camp staff walks out after their offer letter terms were altered without notice

A fresh graduate (u/haute_honey) decided to join a decent summer camp job after college. The pay wasn't really great, but it was enough to support the person while they looked at other career options. However, things changed, and the individual walked out when they realized that the management had altered the offer letter terms without notice. Sharing their story on Reddit, the graduate sought support for his decision.

The individual joined the summer camp job, thinking it was quite a good catch, oblivious to the toxic management. The work was tough, but they provided meals and accommodation, so it seemed like a fair offer. The ex-worker lived close to the camp, so they decided to commute instead of staying there. On the first day, the authorities straight away put the author to work without explaining anything. The ex-worker found it very strange but didn't really complain about it. "The next day, I realized that I didn't ask about payday, so I found the camp director and asked when checks would be mailed out," they wrote. Now, the offer letter had mentioned a stipend of $900 every two weeks, but the camp director said they wouldn't pay until the campers arrived.  "So then, I would be getting a paycheck two weeks LATER, one month from today. Without pay for the first two weeks. I was shocked. I asked what I was doing the first two weeks working for free, and he told me the room and board accommodations were my pay," the person wrote in their post from June 2024.

When they inquired further, they found that most of the other workers were on a work-exchange basis, with no real pay. The worker felt cheated and quit almost immediately. "I walked out. I don't do work for free; I have a home, so I don't need board, and I can make my own damn dinners," they said. Here, the worker realized that they had been cheated in just two weeks, perhaps because they were aware of their rights. However, not everybody gets to stand against such fraud. In fact, when the Melbourne Law School surveyed over 2,000 young Australian workers under the age of 30, they realized that one-third of them were exploited by their employers. "Young people don’t have much industrial knowledge or experience, so they are easy to take advantage of. They are also unlikely to challenge an employer, as many of them are in insecure work, and they worry about losing their jobs," Prof John Howe, the study's lead from the University of Melbourne, was quoted by The Guardian. 

Meanwhile, reacting to the post, u/bacan_ commented, "It sounds like a scummy small-time business. Can't imagine it is legal to write an offer letter in a way that makes you think you are getting paid for two weeks of work when you aren't. Think you made the right decision!" u/Ill-structure-8292 suggested, "I just found this post, but if you've gotten nowhere with the program, try filing complaints with your state Labor Board and/or Attorney General's office. You should be able to find forms online." u/bebe718 said, "I would be like, 'I’ll be back in 2 weeks.' Did they do anything when you left? This is a good lesson to make sure the offer letter has the pay and start date in writing."

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