Spitting Part 3

Did you miss me? I've been a busy, busy girl.

*Let's start with an update of "Susie," now ex-but still preggie-coworker. So Susie took her case to the Labor Board. Susie had to meet our psycho boss at the LB board office for what is turning into the showdown of the century. And, as expected, they claimed that she quit and was most definitely not fired, despite the damning email from the designated bitch supervisor stating that they would give her a 30 day notice. The boss also said that Susie had been organizing us and manipulating us, and all that resulted in a one-day strike the day after Susie had been terminated. Well believe me, I wish that was true, but what actually happened was that they called a mandatory teachers' meeting at the exact time our classes were supposed to start. A mandatory meeting where they lied out of their asses for two hours, which resulted in a big fight involving the foreign teachers and pretty much all of management. Additionally, the boss' "case" involved this interesting little tidbit: she said that she knows that Susie is a manipulator and a liar because SHE LISTENS TO EVERY CONVERSATION WE HAVE IN OUR MIKED TEACHERS' ROOM. Now, this is totally illegal in Korea and it is somewhat galling that she would admit this before a government body that was about to fully investigate her, but I never said the woman is smart. She is so used to lying and changing the facts that I'm sure she didn't know exactly what she said and would change her story yet again if the issue was pressed. Not only that, but I'm not sure what it actually has to do with the facts of the case...

Now, before the LB does a full investigation and reveals their findings, they give the employer and employee a chance to negotiate a settlement. Susie's case was pretty rock-solid and I think our psycho bitch boss had at least figured that out. So after an onslaught of name-calling and verbal abuse, she agreed to pay Susie about $3000 plus her last paycheck. The deal was signed at the LB with a promise of full payment the next day.

Well, of course the drama continued. The next day a different supervisor called Susie to tell her that they wouldn't be paying her April pay because they had to negotiate how much Susie owed her... "HUH?" you say... Yeah. Susie consulted the LB once again and they told her that if psycho boss wanted the money, she would have to sue Susie for it. So today, Susie went yet again back to the office where she was met once again with an onslaught of insults and verbal abuse and then only given $1000 of the $1750 she was owed. And the boss told her, no threatened her, that if she went to the LB again, she would sue Susie for everything and leave her a broken, penniless woman. Well, I'm not sure that she could actually do that, but she is so vengeful that I don't doubt that she'd try it.

That's the thing about this boss. You can't have a rational conversation because everything turns into victimization. Her victimization. But she is out in cold blood for this teacher who only wants the money she is owed so that she can get on with her life.

And now what, you may ask? Well, I don't know. I'm not sure that even if Susie pursues further legal action that she'll be able to get the rest of that money. I think unfortunately, the best she can do is report it and have it go on file what a sleazy f'n boss we have. Where's the justice, man?

And as a side, it turns out that every single foreign teacher has worked illegally for this employer at one time or another and if it didn't mean that we'd all get fined and deported (even though we haven't actually had much choice), it would be a great way to get this woman shut down for good. She is has no business being a business owner.

And oh, in case y'all are wondering over whether or not she'll get deported... Well, they tried, but can't do it because she is too darn pregnant. So she was issued a special 6 month visa, which should be enough time to get herself sorted. And she found a new apartment not so far from where I live now....