At first, bartending at Virtue nightclub was a dream job for Queen’s student, Jane—who spoke to The Journal on the condition of anonymity, fearing retribution from her employer. She could bartend for four-hour shifts and rake in $200 in tips on top of her hourly wage. But when Jane stopped getting paid in early November, her dreams came crashing down.
Virtue, the Kingston nightclub which opened in September to replace The Spot, allegedly owes employees pay for their work. Unlike most workplaces, Virtue allegedly pays staff inconsistently according to Jane.
When she was hired in September, Jane worked every week and was told by owner Jordan West she would be paid her hourly wage bi-weekly, with weekly tip payout.
“I think it happened maybe once that [my pay] was actually on schedule, and then from that point onwards, it was basically just whenever they had the money, they would pay us,” Jane said in an interview with The Journal.
At first, the money was a couple of days late. By October, Jane and her colleagues hadn’t been paid for multiple weeks of work, and after Halloween, another bartender quit due to the lack of communication about outstanding payments.
In text messages obtained by The Journal, Jane requested to be paid for hours already worked on Nov. 13. On Nov. 24, she received a payment of $250, $40 short of what she was owed. She was told West would pay her the rest during her shift the following day. Jane claims she never received the pay and is still waiting for roughly $500.
Despite pleas from employees, Virtue refuses to communicate with them regarding payment, suggesting they the Employment Standards Board.
“We’re unable to comment regarding specific staff and any amounts owed for wages. Current and previously employed staff have always been encouraged to the Employment Standards Board regarding any issues that involve their employment and the obligations of Virtue nightclub,” Virtue said, responding to the allegations in a statement to The Journal.
In their statement to The Journal on Jan. 9, Virtue owner Jordan West said he “has received no notifications or correspondence regarding wages or complaints” from employees through the Employment Standards Board.
In September, students swarmed the newly branded nightclub. One outside contractor, a DJ, noticed Virtue was always one payment behind until late November when payments allegedly stopped as students partied less during exam season. Today, the DJ claims Virtue still owes them $800.
“They had me playing to basically empty rooms,” the DJ said in an interview with The Journal, referencing shifts in November and December.
Another outside contractor alleged they haven’t been paid since the first day they worked at Virtue, when West handed them $50 cash for their services. Four shifts later, they haven’t received any other payments.
Neither outside contractor had a written contract with Virtue, who they communicated with via Instagram DMs and texts. Virtue doesn’t have an online system accessible to staff for tracking hours, but claims they encourage staff to keep track of their shifts.
Speaking to The Journal, employees recounted various explanations for late wage payments. In their statement, Virtue said the business has struggled with growing costs from all aspects of their operation, including wages, rent, insurance, stock, supplies, and overcoming a debt load established by its previous business management during these periods.
Virtue’s work schedule was communicated using Facebook, and managers would the time employees would clock out in a private system. Virtue confirmed this in a statement to The Journal.
According to Jane, without a record of hours available to employees, it’s difficult for them to file a formal complaint with the Ministry of Labour, which requires ing documentation including contracts and timestamps.
When employees were paid, money was e-transferred from multiple s, sometimes from “The Spot Nightclub,” and sometimes from “Jordan West,” according to screenshots of e-transfers received by employees and obtained by The Journal.
Jane believes Virtue is taking advantage of students and young people who aren’t aware of how workplaces should operate. Out of approximately 25 staff, she estimated eight are Queen’s students, with some employees only 18 years old.
“The fact that they’re trying to replace us before people have quit, implies that they’re hoping to get away with people who will kind of just let this go,” Jane said.
On Nov. 29, Virtue d open positions for bartenders, coat check, promoters, and cover handlers on Instagram.
At first, the carefree atmosphere at Virtue was exciting, but now Jane is searching for another job while waiting for her outstanding payments.
“I’m a student, and I’m coming back [from winter break] and I can barely afford to scrape by and afford to buy groceries,” Jane said. “I don’t want people to apply there and go through the same thing I did.”
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