The importance of a signed work agreement
Karen and her husband worked at a great RV park last summer, or so they thought. However, when it came time to collect the promised $.50/hr bonus for completing their season, they had a heck of a fight. They called numerous times. Promises, but no check came. After talking to three other couples who worked with them at this park, they found out that no one had received their bonus. One couple suggested they compare their last pay stub with the W-2 they received. The W-2 was for the amount they would have earned had they received their bonus.
To make a long story short, after getting no help from the state, Karen turned to the IRS. The employer had filed a fraudulent W-2. Within a week, they had their bonus check, which had been "misplaced."
What got them their bonus money, besides persistence, was Karen's record keeping and a signed agreement by the employer spelling out the bonus. In fact, another couple who had worked for this same employer in a previous year and been promised a bonus had only a verbal agreement. He never did get his bonus because the owners said he was mistaken; it was his word against theirs.
Some workers on the RV road think a handshake and your word is good enough. Sometimes it is. But when you encounter an employer who deliberately tries to cheat you out of money you have earned, then you need written documentation. Getting that bonus could mean an extra $800-1000 for a couple.
Karen had kept
To make a long story short, after getting no help from the state, Karen turned to the IRS. The employer had filed a fraudulent W-2. Within a week, they had their bonus check, which had been "misplaced."
What got them their bonus money, besides persistence, was Karen's record keeping and a signed agreement by the employer spelling out the bonus. In fact, another couple who had worked for this same employer in a previous year and been promised a bonus had only a verbal agreement. He never did get his bonus because the owners said he was mistaken; it was his word against theirs.
Some workers on the RV road think a handshake and your word is good enough. Sometimes it is. But when you encounter an employer who deliberately tries to cheat you out of money you have earned, then you need written documentation. Getting that bonus could mean an extra $800-1000 for a couple.
Karen had kept
- a copy of the ad from Workamper News.
- the signed agreement detailing the job including compensation & bonus.
- a spreadsheet documenting the hours they had worked.
- copies of her paystubs and W-2s.
I'd also advise keeping copies of any other written correspondence including e-mails.
A written agreement is a protection - for both you and the employer. It spells everything out so you are both on the same page. And, if you by chance run into a situation like this, you have the documentation to take action and get all the money you earned.
See Workamper.com for a sample work agreement. For information on Jaimie Hall's recently revised book, Support Your RV LIfestyle! An Insider's Guide to Working on the Road, 2nd ed., see RVBookstore.com.
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