Unexpected Volunteer

Last week I applied for unemployment insurance.  It will take a few weeks to process before I am issued any money, so I'm hoping that by the time I see the first check, I'll have real job.  I've got some good prospects looming, but nothing solid enough to mention yet.

I bring up my application because I had to provide the name, address, phone number, and start and end date for every place I've worked in the last eighteen months (they ended up only going back twelve).  I prepared by writing out this information for every job within the required window - incidentally, this blog was very helpful since it confirmed the start and end dates of every job I've had since moving to Maryland.  Since I didn't have the addresses for every business already recorded somewhere, I Googled the ones I was missing.  Interesting fact: the Italian place I worked at for two weekends has shut down.  Another interesting fact: I was never paid for those two weekends.

That second one I already knew.  I had gone back to return my shirt and apron and confirmed with the assistant manager the hours that I had worked with him assuring me that I would get my check in the next billing cycle.  I never followed up and never got paid.  I kept meaning to do something about it, but I knew it wasn't going to be a lot, so I never got around to it.

As I was applying for unemployment, the agent I was working with would confirm the company that paid out the checks based off of my tax records.  When I gave her the name and dates for when I worked at Mamma Lucia's, nothing came up.  No taxes were filed on my behalf.  That meant that not only did I never get my paycheck, I was never even issued one.

Ultimately, I just laughed it off.  I was a pretty lousy employee since I only quit after I had missed coming in for my double-shift.  Plus, the people I worked with were extremely unprofessional and, in some cases, downright crass.  So in my mind, it sort of evens out: I worked a handful of shifts as a volunteer and got a few free meals for my trouble.  Not a bad deal.