USandCC/Geospatial NOT paying employees??!!

**loc8kween** · September 11th, 2010, 03:20 PM

Has anyone else heard about this? They have not paid their employees, except locators in certain areas, in two months. How can this be legal? Are they paying their locators to keep money coming in until they close the doors completely? Then their supervisors, clerks, management, just have to go without the thousands of dollars owed to them?

Wondering why it's all so hush-hush and no one seems to be talking about it?

**yahoo** · September 11th, 2010, 08:51 PM

haven't heard of this

**ProfessionalLocator** · September 11th, 2010, 09:07 PM

I have not heard anything. Employees except management, called "exempt employees" under Federal standards, must be paid a minimum of every two weeks which is a Federal standard. A managers or "exempt", need not be paid every two weeks. The amount of time an employer has to make up a shortage in a paycheck varies by state or it used too.

Many SUE firms are hurting because the recession has reduced the demand for their services. Also more jurisdictions are permitting "design" tickets which puts more of their work onto contract locators.

**AULupstate** · September 13th, 2010, 03:27 PM

Never heard of this company but if in fact it is true IT IS NOT LEGAL.

First of all, why would ANYONE keep going to work if they haven't been paid?

Hell I have gotten pissed off when my checks were late by like a day or two. A week late, you can bet your ass I'm NOT DOING ANYTHING until it's in my bank. 2 weeks late, the company can suck it and they can still pay me for sitting at home. 3 weeks, start looking for another job.

2 months late? I'm on somebodies doorstep with a baseball bat. Or at least calling EVERYONE that can help me obtain my money.

**ProfessionalLocator** · September 14th, 2010, 05:19 AM

Originally Posted by AULupstate

Never heard of this company but if in fact it is true IT IS NOT LEGAL.

First of all, why would ANYONE keep going to work if they haven't been paid?

Hell I have gotten pissed off when my checks were late by like a day or two. A week late, you can bet your ass I'm NOT DOING ANYTHING until it's in my bank. 2 weeks late, the company can suck it and they can still pay me for sitting at home. 3 weeks, start looking for another job.

2 months late? I'm on somebodies doorstep with a baseball bat. Or at least calling EVERYONE that can help me obtain my money.

In this economy there are few jobs and those few each have a hundred applicants. One SUE operator told me that his job postings for locators got resumes from across the entire country from people seeking work. So people may work hoping things will get better and hoping to hang onto one of the few, rare jobs.

Yesterday I met a bore crew. Only a couple of them spoke enough English to be understood and then only barely and that was the crew leader. They had no site drawing and did not know where they were going to bore in the electric primary between the transformers. When asked he said he would just follow our marks. The ticket directions were all messed up calling for marking the front when the utilities were in the rear. This is an east coast firm with offices in seven states. These firms are all too willing to hire foreign nationals, many "undocumented" or illegals, and put us all out of work so people hang onto what jobs they have.

I once went into a government facility where I had to present my id. They objected to the pocket knife I used for work which blade was 3 inches and they would not allow any sharp blade beyond 2 1/2 inches. So I had to leave the site. In front of me was a landscaping crew. Most of the crew did not speak English and the crew leader interpreted. Most had no id of any type and they let these buys in, and they had machetes.

**OVUS1** · September 14th, 2010, 11:46 AM

Originally Posted by loc8kween

Has anyone else heard about this? They have not paid their employees, except locators in certain areas, in two months. How can this be legal? Are they paying their locators to keep money coming in until they close the doors completely? Then their supervisors, clerks, management, just have to go without the thousands of dollars owed to them?

Wondering why it's all so hush-hush and no one seems to be talking about it?

Geospatial is a top-rated public company. I happen to know many of the employees there (east and west coast) and haven't heard anything like this. I do know that the economy has put a pretty bad pinch on certain applications and processes provided by Geospatial, but Mark would never allow not paying anyone that works for him - just wouldn't happen. My suggestion is to contact Mark directly. All of his contact information is listed on the Geospatial website http://www.geospatialcorporation.com/), and here is his email address: msmith@geospatialcorporation.com.

**FiosKing** · September 14th, 2010, 05:46 PM

havent heard anything either... all i can tell you is if i was not paid even for one week you would not see me working or i would probably disable the gps and hold the vehicle as payment

**ProfessionalLocator** · September 14th, 2010, 07:07 PM

Originally Posted by FiosKing

havent heard anything either... all i can tell you is if i was not paid even for one week you would not see me working or i would probably disable the gps and hold the vehicle as payment

Many of these firms do not own their vehicles, they are leased. It is the leasing company that will demand them back and as they do not belong to the company that owes you money there is no disputing turning over the vehicle. If you do not tell the leasing company where to pick up the truck they just call the police and it is reported as stolen. The police then come visit you and if the vehicle is found in your possession you get arrested.

I was at a firm that shut down and the paychecks bounced. I took the truck and parked it about 20 miles away at the commercial site of someone I knew. Once I confirmed it belonged to the leasing company, there was no registration card in that truck, I told them were they could go pick it up. Later an attorney wrote demanding all the equipment but given no orders on what to do with that stuff I had left all of that in the truck, it was up to them to track down all that stuff.

**FiosKing** · September 14th, 2010, 09:10 PM

lol nice... ya in that case i would return the truck and sell all the locating equiptment

**TheCableVine** · September 14th, 2010, 11:56 PM

I think OVUS is correct. Look at the number of posts by the original poster. Just one post and it is to complain about a company. Someone wants to give someone else a bad name.

**AULupstate** · September 15th, 2010, 03:13 AM

Didn't 3M do that to their guys a while back ? They just folded up shop and disappeared leaving ALL of their trucks and equipment out in the field with their people.

After reading OVUS1's post I think this topic is mute but interesting to say the least with all that is going on and actually having gone through this type of thing myself.

**ProfessionalLocator** · September 15th, 2010, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by AULupstate

Didn't 3M do that to their guys a while back ? They just folded up shop and disappeared leaving ALL of their trucks and equipment out in the field with their people.

After reading OVUS1's post I think this topic is mute but interesting to say the least with all that is going on and actually having gone through this type of thing myself.

That was 3E, yup, that is exactly what they did. I heard they continued operating at a much lower level with a few employees and a new name the next week. Pay checks were issued every two weeks and one week they bounced. They said that this was due to changing banks and not all the funds went through to the new bank. Then when the next check was due to come out they closed their doors leaving the employees holding bad checks on four weeks pay.

Anybody know the new name they have been operating under? Someplace in Wisconsin or Michigan.

**loc8kween** · September 22nd, 2010, 03:09 PM

Admin- I am absolutely not trying to give anyone a bad name. The fact of the matter is that when this sort of thing happens there is always a trail somewhere. When a company goes under or claims bankrupcy, someone is always talking about it. Period. I was simply trying to find out if that was the case. Public companies just don't stop paying their employees. When stock prices are rising and the company is not paying employees, well that usually means someone is doing some creative accounting, which always ends badly. I've been in this situation before and this is hauntingly familiar. And I have called Mark - and Joe - and Dan - and so on. Professional - You are right on the money with your response. Times are tough. The last thing I want to do is to go to another company that is in the same boat or worse. I prefer to stand by my company. To treat it as if it were my own and I do not want to go to another place. However, if a shut down is in the mix I would rather start combing the globe for another position.