A soon-to-be charter school worker went viral on TikTok after sharing how his employer tried to get him to sign a contract that included working certain periods without pay.
The video, posted by TikTok user @baroquebetch, had over 461,000 views as of Wednesday morning. In it, he said that the school offered him a position where he would teach four, 50-minute classes at a rate of $50 per hour.
@baroquebetch #greenscreen #employeerights #laborlaw ♬ original sound – baroquenviolin
@baroquebetch, however, noted some issues with the job contract—namely with how it rendered payment. For one, the contract said he would only get paid for the times he was actively teaching—not the breaks in-between classes. On top of that, he would not get paid for performing tasks like lesson planning and grading.
“So this is the job offer letter that I received. As you can see they’re just a few problems with it,” he said. “This part right here says, ‘This rate includes planning and grading and you will not be compensated during this time.’”
He called the school’s payment policy “illegal” and said that employers cannot expect workers to be on the job without pay. Still, @baroquebetch said that he accepted the position as a means of guaranteeing he could have grounds for a lawsuit if the school decided to turn him away because of their non-compliance with labor laws.
@baroquebetch showed viewers a screenshot of an email he sent to the school, which essentially said that the job offer, as written, “contain[ed] some labor law violations.”
“I’m really hoping this works out and that I don’t have to pursue legal action. But if I have to, I will,” he said.
In the comments, viewers were split on whether @baroquebetch should take the gig. Some said that he was “sabotaging” himself and should find employment elsewhere.
“Why would you want to work for a charter school?” one user questioned. “Why work for a school that pays hourly?”
“You’re sabotaging yourself,” another said.
“Accepting an offer with the intent to sue would likely put any lawsuit in jeopardy,” a third person advised. “Report them to the labor department and move on.”
Others, however, applauded @baroquebetch for sticking up for himself.
“Wow there are way too many people here way too comfortable with being exploited and exploiting others,” one viewer said.
“Awesome work. We should all be going about contracts like this,” another encouraged.
This is not the first time @baroquebetch has used social media to air his grievances with employers. In one video, he walked out of a position with Eyemart Express. He also quit a job with Raising Cane’s and accused the company of not giving him a lunch break.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @baroquebetch via TikTok comment.
