Legal Question in Employment Law in California

I was hired by YMCA to be a camp counselor for a week. The women who hired me told me that I would receive pay for the gas it took for me to get to this place.

Sadly right before I started this job my grandma passed away and I had to fly to Spokane, wa for her funeral.

I lived in Carmichael, California at the time and was living in a new apt building. My friend offered to give me a ride to the airport and of course I accidentally parked my car in someone else’s spot when I thought I was in a guest parking spot. I had to leave my family in Washington early because I already had signed all the paperwork for this job and promised that I would be there. Well I got home to find out my car had been towed. I got home on a Saturday evening and was supposed to start driving to the camp as soon as I got back to California. The tow yard was already closed for the day and I had to pay extra to get my car out after hours. Of course I let my ymca manager know what had happened and that I would end up arriving to this place around 2 or 3 in the morning.

Let me tell you it gets so much worse.

She told me that she would keep her cell phone on loud incase I got lost because this was a hard camping ground to find. It was about a 3 hour drive away for me as well. Well when I got as close to the camp as possible now being 1:30am. I can’t get ahold of the person who hired me. I called and called and called. Finally she answered her phone apologizing to me because it was now about to be 5am. I finally parked my car on the camp grounds at about 6am. The sun was starting to come up.

I was so exhausted I get my sleeping bag set up and I told her after a whole weekend of family events and then flying home, getting my car out of tow yard, getting lost without being able to contact the camp leader for several hours. I told her that I was so exhausted and needed to sleep for a few hours. At 8am they asked me if I could get up and I asked if I could get a little more sleep. She was unhappy but said okay. I finally woke up at 10am to start my day as a camp counselor. I did everything I was asked of. But right before dinner the girls got a hour of down time and I choose to use that to take a nap as I was so exhausted. I had asked if this was okay as that’s what everyone else was doing but my camp leader got upset because she wanted me to use that hour to get to know the girls in my cabin better. I needed to lay down for that down time. I told her that tomorrow would be a way better day for me as I would have finally gotten a good nights rest. But a hour or two after dinner just as it’s about to be dark out. The camp leader asked to speak to me and told me that she was upset with my performance (meaning at the fact I used that hour down time to try and nap) which I asked if it was okay to the other counselor in my cabin and she said it was fine. But I guess it was not because the women had told me that they thought I wasn’t a good fit and that I was being fired. I was told to pack up my things and get in my car and drive home. She said that I would be paid for the gas/miles/time it took for me to get there and home. As well as all the hours i worked that day.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing because I had left my family events from my grandmas funeral early because I had already made an obligation to the camp. I was shocked after everything. I was so upset. She didn’t even give me a chance after being so exhausted. I knew the next day I would have woken up with energy and it would have been great but no. This woman told me to leave. So I quietly packed up all my things. Which I also had to prepare and spend a lot of money for this trip. I had to buy a sleeping bad and think about my food for the week. As well as ideas on how I could bond with the girls in my cabin and so I went to Michael’s and bought a huge bead kit. I spent a lot because I was so excited about getting this job at a ymca youth camp. After the camp was over I sent several emails & phone callsto the camp leader who hired me. She never responded to me and chose to ignore me.

YMCA never paid me.

I was hurt and I tried to just let this go.

But a couple years has gone by now and now that I’m older and more mature I see on how wrong this was and that I deserved to be paid for my work. I reached out to ymca and the woman who hired me recently. She still is choosing to ignore me.

What do I do.

Can I sue ymca.

How should I handle this situation.

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