Joe Martone (name changed to protect client privacy) worked as a trucker for many years to support his family. He has worked for a number of different companies and had a good record with each. In February 2019, Joe was working for a long-haul trucking company when his sister lost custody of her kids, and Joe began caring for them in his home. Joe informed his employer that he would require an accommodation to continue working, as his new responsibilities prohibited him from making long trips out of state. The employer promptly fired him and withheld Joe’s previous two weeks of pay.
Luckily, Joe came to Legal Aid, where an attorney took on his case and court against Joe’s former employer. The employer’s case rested on the fact that Joe had signed a contract at the point of employment in which he agreed to forfeiting his last two weeks of pay if he quit. However, it is illegal to deny a person wages for hours worked; that part of the contract was never valid. Thanks to his Legal Aid attorney’s advocacy and expertise in employment law, Joe was able to recover his unpaid wages.