A Georgia man received his paycheck in pennies after taking several measures to ensure he got his final payment.
Andreas Flaten reportedly resigned from his job at A OK Walker Autoworks in November but found it difficult to get his final paystub in the wake of his departure. He asked his employer for his money and even tapped the Department of Labor for some assistance. The $915 payment was later dumped in front of his home. Flaten discovered a pile of oil-covered pennies in his driveway earlier this month alongside his final paystub and a note that read, “Fuck you.”
“This is a childish thing to do,” Flaten said after the discovery.
Flaten’s girlfriend, Olivia Oxley — who was also bothered by the gesture — took to Instagram to vent her frustrations. In her caption, she revealed that her boyfriend gave Miles Walker, the owner of AOL Walker Auto Works, a letter of resignation and two weeks notice when announcing his decision to leave the job. She said he was let go in five days but “respectfully delivered his uniforms” with a note explaining the reason for his exit. According to Oxley, the pennies came three months later after Flaten mentioned taking legal action. Walker reportedly witthheld the check due to damages to the shop.
The Georgia man has since placed the pennies in a wheelbarrow inside his garage, and has devoted his nights to cleaning the pennies with a mix of dish soap, vinegar and water.
When estimating the amount of time it would take to clean all his pennies, Flaten said, “I think that’s going to be a lot of work for money I’ve already worked for. It’s definitely not fair at all. It’s going to be hours upon hours of just thing to clean this money up so that it’s even able to be spent. It’s definitely not fair at all.”
Walker didn’t deny or take accountabilty for sending the coins. “I don’t really remember,” he told a local news station. “It doesn’t matter. He got paid. That’s all that matters.”