ATLANTA — Employees who claimed they weren't paid after being staffed to work for Super Bowl LIII events finally received paychecks Monday.
The Fulton County District Attorney's office gathered the workers Tuesday after they decided to look into the matter. D.A. Paul Howard Jr. said they arranged with one of the judges to use their courtroom so they could talk to the workers and interview them individually. However, that changed.
"We discovered a big surprise," Howard said.
He said two attorneys for BE Staffing, the company accused of not paying the workers, showed up to deliver checks.
"They indicated they are here to provide the payment for the folks who said they didn't get paid," he said.
"I think they just wanted their money that's all that they wanted," Howard said. "They didn't want to fight. They didn't want to go to court. They just wanted the money that they had already earned."
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"I got my check. I'm satisfied, it was what it was supposed to be," said Gloria Smith.
She claims she was initially paid but her check was short. That's when she found out some hadn't been paid at all.
"I worked 160 hours," Lorene Evans said. "I'm happy we are finally getting our money."
The payment comes a month after the big game. The workers and community activists both have been pushing for answers. Atlanta City Council President Felicia Moore even sent a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last week, asking him to exhaust all measures to ensure the workers be paid.
As far as criminal charges are concerned, the district attorney's office would have to prove that the company intended to defraud the employees from the beginning - which is sometimes difficult, he said.
If workers were paid less than promised, they can speak with an investigator, Howard said.
"In this case, what it does seem, is that there was an unintentional mistake and this company is willing to stand by these employees, and I think that's really great," he added.
11Alive received a statement Tuesday from the company about the allegations.
During the week of January 27th, BE Staffing was hired by their client to contract staffers for the Super Bowl Experience. Sometime after this event, it was reported on a local news station and various social media platforms that BE Staffing did not compensate their contractors for hours worked.
We are aware of the recent allegations against BE Staffing regarding issues of non-payment to staff members during events related to the Super Bowl. We categorically deny these claims and have documented proof that all staff members received payment via checking account or global payment systems based on sign in sheets for hours worked. BE Staffing is fully committed to honoring any and all of our financial obligations with our staff members. As a result, if any of our contractors can provide a valid claim that they were not paid all monies owed to them, they will be fully compensated.
To present a claim, staffers should contact our offices at 1-877-218-7511 or corporate@bestaffingservice.com
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