PETTY: Man Receives Final Paycheck as 90,000 Greasy Pennies

The experience of being an under-appreciated employee is something that all-too-many Americans can relate to, especially as state and federal regulations continue to err in the favor of the employers.

This has created an unnecessary and seemingly inescapable conflict between employees and employers, which is made almost silly by its place in popular culture.

Sure, sometimes this can be a bit funny, and make for some lighthearted ribbing back and forth.

But, at other times, the behaviors involved are downright dirty.

A Georgia man said his former employer owed him a pretty penny, $915 to be exact, after leaving his job in November.

But Andreas Flaten said he was shocked to see his final payment: 90,000 oil or grease covered pennies, at the end of his driveway earlier this month, news outlets reported. Atop the pile was an envelope with Flaten’s final paystub and an explicit parting message.

So, what happened?

Flaten said he left his job at Peachtree City’s A OK Walker Autoworks in November. He said he was owed the final check and had difficulty getting it, even turning to the Georgia Department of Labor to receive help.

In mid-March, Flaten said as he left his house with his girlfriend he noticed the pile at the end of his driveway. He said the pennies were covered with some sort of oily substance.

Worse still…

Now his nightly routine consists of cleaning the pennies so he can cash them in. He said it took him about an hour and a half to clean off several hundred.

“I think that’s going to be a lot of work for money I’ve already worked for,” he said. “It’s definitely not fair at all.”

The owner of the shop said that he “didn’t remember” whether or not he was responsible for the greasy penny scheme, but did go on to refer to his ex-employee as “a weenie”.