Co-Worker Harrassment

[Gatch]

My question involves labor and employment law for the state of: GA

A budget manager in my division made a unilateral decision not to compensate me for hours that were approved by both the department head and the executive officer. She offered various excuses, but when she was directly ordered to compensate me, she then accused me of accepting double payments and reduced her assertion to time and 1/2. Once payroll supported my dispute, she still "shorted" me for 23 hours. Fast forward to this summer and she placed me in a budget # that does not exist, told the executive that paperwork hadn't been completed, blamed payroll, and went to the extent to approach me in my work area to tell me that "you better keep my name out of your mouth." This is a contracted job that extends my professional responsibilities and I have found that I am the only person who was not being paid. I have been completing the contracted work since May and have not been compensated at all. The other two individuals are paid and I am the only person of my race. I have documentation where she instructed me to alter time documents and where she has told her subordinates not to pay me until she tells them to. She has discussed my personal financial information with a secretary who has no need to know and had discussions in a public forum. She sends her subordinates to question me regarding lunch hours, etc., none of which I am required to report to her nor are they in her job responsibilities. I report directly to the executive officer who requests my services to extend past the days I am obligated to work. This budget manager is not in a supervisory role for me, or anyone else. Again, I am the only person of my race and she has behaved in this manner since I reported her for blocking my hours from payroll last year. Could this qualify for harassment or retaliation (especially since she has now taken it to the level of veiled threats)?

[us11csalyer]

You need to bring this to the attention of your boss. ( the person you report to) If you have done so already and the issue is still continuing then seek a lawyer and keep quite about seeking a lawyer. The last thing you want to do is play the race card if you don't have documented proof that she does these things to other people of your race.

While seeking a lawyer you need to get documentation showing that such and such approved you for extended hours, go to payroll and get copies of your pay stubs from them, and if possible get affidavits from people who seen her behavior towards you. These affidavits needs to be signed in front of a notary with the notary's signature, and contact information.

[cbg]

I'm going to add one step to the above answer. If you have reported this to management and it has not yet stopped, your next stop before an attorney is HR.

Documentation is all very well, but unless these actions are BECAUSE of your race and not in spite of it, it's not illegal discrimination. Nor is "retaliation" for reporting her mistake with your hours illegal.