This company has a history of treating its employees poorly.
To the employee holding up the signs on Aug. 20, 2022 about working 41 weeks and Dutchie’s falling 6 weeks behind on your pay, here’s what you need to know:
- By failing to pay you, Dutchie’s is in breach of contract. Therefore, you did not resign. This is a case of constructive or wrongful dismissal. In other words, they terminated you by forcing you to quit. If Mike Renkema and HR won’t answer your questions, who is telling you that you forfeited your earnings? YOU DID NOT FORFEIT YOUR RIGHTS TO ANY PAY OWING and any suggestion of such is ridiculous and wishful thinking on their part!
- They owe you all outstanding pay within 7 days. No notice period is required because they dismissed you. If you do not receive all wages within 7 days, file an ESA claim (Employment Standards Act) with the Ontario Ministry of Labour immediately. This can be done online (submit as much supporting evidence as possible) or by calling them. The Ministry will assign an Employment Standards Officer to your case and they will follow up directly with the owner Mike Renkema. Anything in any employment contract you may have signed that contravenes the Employment Standards Act is VOID.
- Dutchie’s owes you your ROE within 5 days of your last day of work, regardless of why you stopped working there. Failure to provide this may subject Mike Renkema to federal penalties of up to $2,000 or up to 6 months behind bars, or both. In addition, he could be forced to pay for any inconvenience caused to you (like delays in receiving El benefits). ). You can also request your ROE from the government. This will allow you to start your El claim and the government will follow up directly with Dutchie’s for the ROE.
- The ESA process can sometimes drag on longer than you feel comfortable with. Another alternative is to seek a free consultation on legal advice regarding filing a claim directly against Dutchie’s. This is a slam dunk case of employee mistreatment that Dutchie’s will categorically lose. You will get all of your pay owing and they will also have to pay all your expenses related to your claim (claim fee, counsel fee for representation, etc.).
- If the information displayed on your signs is true, you have done nothing wrong and they are entirely at fault here.
- Be sure to share the above notes with other employees that are being taken advantage of and mistreated by this employer. The more government and legal claims in process against them, the better the chances of the situation improving for future employees.
Best of luck getting all of the money YOU EARNED! Until then, the signs are getting noticed. 🙂
It is unfortunate you had to resort to the uncomfortable situation of standing in front of their store with homemade signs, but garnering public opinion in this case is entirely appropriate. Customers deserve to know how employees are treated behind closed doors so they can make an informed decision about whom they choose to do business with.
Just read the owner’s laughable boilerplate reply, so felt I had to edit my review to respond in kind:
- The facts are clearly presented.
- Whoever is writing the owner replies shouldn’t use such fancy words without first referencing a dictionary.
- Highly appropriate to try and help people new to the workforce (high school students and new Canadians).
- I am providing an education for those who feel helpless and don’t know where to find help. The Ministry of Labour is waiting to hear from you all.
- You don’t encourage your employees – you ignore and then intimidate them (forfeit their rights?) hoping they will go away unpaid.
Looking forward to more employer responses, LOL!
Original review: https://g.co/kgs/BfzChMX
The Truth about JR'S Country Fresh Market (Brantford) 
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