Travel Issue

[jaelfarn]

So, I'm a brand new traveler and I've had an interesting start, to say the least.

I accepted one contract that was cancelled by the hospital three days before I was supposed to leave d/t "unforeseen budget cuts."

Quickly scrambled and took a different contract with a different agency. There were a few red flags in the beginning that I shouldn't have glazed over (didn't see my contract until the Friday before I left [was leaving on a Monday] and they automatically wanted to put me in an extended stay x 13 weeks vs. an apartment). Figured they were little hiccups and kept going.

On the drive out there, a tropical storm caused TNCC to be rescheduled for the following week. My recruiter told me this wouldn't be an issue and the hospital would likely start me that Monday and have me continue the course Tuesday. The next day, we find out my apartment wasn't actually available. Next day, my contract is delayed until July 13. Multiple issues regarding where I would be staying/working, they were trying to find per diem shifts in the interim and looking for a different contract. Then, I receive another email mentioning how my recruiter had canceled my contract altogether on my behalf while searching for a new one for me. I didn't authorize this at all after we had discussed keeping it in case we couldn't find a new, faster starting one. After 9 days of being unsure of a living and work situation, I decided to forgo it and return home.

I worked a short shift that I have not received compensation for. I'm obviously not being reimbursed for my travel out there and the money I was promised for the delay in start. Do I have any recourse in this scenario? This feels like a bit of a nightmare.

[GuEsT78]

Experience can be a painful teacher. Don't expect too much from these staffing agencies. They have little invested in you and in many cases will suffer little if you get ticked off and take your labor elsewhere. They'll regard you as little more than an easily replaced tool like a shovel.

Yeah, it's rotten, but life is often like that.

All is not lost though. I worked for several years for a temp agency that was so dreadful its own office staff turned over about every six months. When that happened, I'd quit getting calls for a few weeks. Then the people where I worked would step in and insist, "No, we want Mike, not these other people you're sending over." I'd be back at work again.

Do good work, and some people will appreciate that and treat you well. But don't expect everyone to care.

------

Read your contract to find out what it says about that uncompensated short shift and the other issues. If the provisions are in your favor, insist on being paid, But if they're not, there's probably nothing you can do about it. The same court system that'll hold your employer to that contract will hold you to its provisions, however unfair they may seem.

[NedRN]

Well, you can sue for the breach of contract although any at-will language in the contract will defuse that nuclear option (by the way, you can consider it for either broken contract).

But really, just consider this as a very cheap lesson. It could have been much worse.

[Argo]

Contact the labor board for the state you had the contract in and the state your agency is based in. It is illegal to withhold wages for worked hours. This is regardless of at will language.

[NedRN]

I agree about the labor board to recover the few hours. I'm not sure I would bother as the agency could put their out of pocket expenses out for collections. Again, cheap lesson.

I was thinking about suing for the balance of the contract. Both of them! Still a lot of hassle and if they have at will language or a termination clause, then little reward.

[auntlala]

This is really awful! Can you say which company this is?