BINGHAMTON, NY (WIVT/WBGH) – Downtown by Beer Tree will now be closed on Mondays due to staffing shortages and one former employee claims that its due to a lack of compensation and commitment to its workers.
Kenny Brown is a former prep and line cook at Downtown Beer Tree and claims that he was terminated last week after confronting the ownership about underpaying the staff.
He says that multiple co-workers were promised raises in their paychecks, but never received them until threatening the company with legal action.
Brown stood outside Beer Tree this morning and into lunch hours with a sign that says, “all we wanted was fair pay and some respect.”
Former Line Cook at Downtown by Beer Tree, Kenny Brown says, “They claimed that human error was to play for why multiple employees did not get the proper raises. And it seems to me that when you have a full-time accountant, someone taking care of this, human error is one, human error is two, human error is not four or five that is serial.”
Brown says that at least two employees have been let go in the past week.
He says he will be out front again tomorrow morning with more supporters.
The owner of Downtown by Beer Tree, Chris Rhoades says that the situation boils down to miscommunication and misunderstanding.
Owner of Downtown by Beer Tree, Chris Rhoades says, “The rate sheet from New York State that’s required for raises and for all pay was not signed, it was never filled out, our team never got that on the accounting side, so it just never went into place. And that was something that as soon as it was brought to our attention, we just went back to the date and just back paid whatever was owed. And then moving forward, just sure that the rate sheet was signed and got it over to the accounting team.”
Rhoades says Beer Tree has its own internal payroll team, and that moving forward, new hires will have a conversation about rate sheets, the credit card processing fees, and checking pay stubs.
He says that any promises that have not been fulfilled will be addressed.
