Ex-Employee Claims Former Boss Paid His Final Paycheck in 500 Pounds Worth of Pennies After Andreas Flaten gave his two-week notice, he was surprised to find his final paycheck in the form of oil-covered pennies.
By Justin Chan Edited by Jessica Thomas
A man who used to work at a Georgia car repair shop is accusing his former boss of a petty move, following a dispute over his final paycheck, WGCL-TV reports.
According to the station, Andreas Flaten gave his two-week notice to the owner of Walker Luxury Autoworks in Peachtree City in November. Though Flaten told WGCL-TV that he knew the owner for eight years, he decided to leave after one year of working for his boss because of an allegedly toxic work environment.
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"He froze and stared at me for like a straight minute…I remember this so clearly…he gets up, puts his hands on his head, walks out the door and disappears for like an hour," Flaten recalled.
Flaten said he returned his washed uniforms on his last day — with a letter explaining his departure — and was told that he would receive his last paycheck (a total of $915) in January. His boss, however, allegedly reversed course and held onto the check, accusing Flaten of damages.
Flaten told WGCL-TV that he then filed a claim with Georgia's Department of Labor and was paid five months later. The catch, however, was that his former employer had paid him all in pennies cover in oil.
"That comes out to be like 504 pounds of pennies," he says.
Flaten added that he had to put the coins in a brand new wheelbarrow, but the load was so heavy its wheel "busted out to the side."
"I have nowhere to put 'em," he says. "I had no idea what I was going to do, like how do I get money from pennies?"
WGCL-TV's calls to Flaten's boss were not returned.
