When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

OTBT · Oct 4, 2009

When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Scientology lawyers are currently trying to argue that scientology staff are exempt from Minimum Wage laws. So this bit of info from an old US government document might be useful...

http://www.exposescientology.com/visadox/050928_SEP282005_03C1101.pdf

The petitioner is the publishing arm of the Church of Scientology International.
...

[The petitioner's] staff are all members of the Sea Organization.
...

The petitioner has submitted payroll documentation, showing that the petitioner
paid the beneficiary the following amounts in the years leading up to the filing date:

1999 $5,933.08
2000 $13,482.55
2001 $17,546.26
2002 $10,762.04
...

On appeal, the petitioner submits a new affidavit from Ms. [redacted] who
states that the petitioner "paid minimum wage until June 28, 2002.
At that time, [the petitioner] converted from minimum wages to providing its
staff, including [the beneficiary], with meals, housing, clothes, medical and
dental care and transportation in addition to $50.00 per week spending
allowance." This assertion explains the drop in the beneficiary's compensation.

amaX · Oct 4, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

OTBT;1017812 said:

Scientology lawyers are currently trying to argue that scientology staff are exempt from Minimum Wage laws. So this bit of info from an old US government document might be useful...

http://www.exposescientology.com/visadox/050928_SEP282005_03C1101.pdf

I don't remember reading this or hearing about this anywhere else. Is this a new find?

AnonyMary · Oct 4, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

OTBT;1017812 said:

Scientology lawyers are currently trying to argue that scientology staff are exempt from Minimum Wage laws. So this bit of info from an old US government document might be useful...

http://www.exposescientology.com/visadox/050928_SEP282005_03C1101.pdf

lol! Great catch!

OTBT · Oct 4, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

AnonMomAnon2;1017821 said:

I don't remember reading this or hearing about this anywhere else. Is this a new find?

No, its not new. Its an obscure Religious Worker visa document. Lots more docs here:

Visa research, Church of Scientology, Religious Worker visas

Searchable, plain text compilation of these docs here:

http://www.exposescientology.com/visadox/aao-decision-summary.pdf

Anonymous · Oct 4, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

When I was in the SO in the mid-1990s, the SO staff at Bridge Publications were paid minimum wage, had to wear "civies" (regular business clothes) and were charged for their berthing and food. They were charged an amount to bring their wages down to the same level as the rest of the SO staff... $50/week. They were not allowed to get their own apartments. In other words, the minimum wage was just "for show" because C of S thought that they had to pay minimum wage for Bridge Pub staff.

Anonymous · Oct 5, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Anonymous;1017869 said:

When I was in the SO in the mid-1990s, the SO staff at Bridge Publications were paid minimum wage, had to wear "civies" (regular business clothes) and were charged for their berthing and food. They were charged an amount to bring their wages down to the same level as the rest of the SO staff... $50/week. They were not allowed to get their own apartments. In other words, the minimum wage was just "for show" because C of S thought that they had to pay minimum wage for Bridge Pub staff.

Any chance it ended in '96 ?

Anonymous · Oct 5, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Anonymous;1017869 said:

When I was in the SO in the mid-1990s, the SO staff at Bridge Publications were paid minimum wage, had to wear "civies" (regular business clothes) and were charged for their berthing and food. They were charged an amount to bring their wages down to the same level as the rest of the SO staff... $50/week. They were not allowed to get their own apartments. In other words, the minimum wage was just "for show" because C of S thought that they had to pay minimum wage for Bridge Pub staff.

Ex Scientology Kids :: Research for potential minimum wage class action lawsuit

Room and board can be credited toward wages, but there are limits. I seem to recall one state only allows a total of $300 credited toward wages each month. The rest of the minimum wage must be money.

Sponge · Oct 5, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Something from the thread on Clambake ( Operation Clambake Message Board :: View topic - March 5th Update on Headley Labor Cases )

** Docket 040 - Defendant's Memo in Opposition to Summary Adjudication
Docket 040 - Defendant's Memo in Opposition to Summary Adjudication

Don Carlo said:

Sponge, CoS lied in that document[**Docket 040]. From the thread National Minimum Wage in the UK:*

4. DO ROOM, BOARD & CLASSES COUNT? NOT ACCORDING TO COS.

CoS claims its Sea Org workers get room, board, and classes, but not "as compensation."

QUOTE # 6 from Staff Contract:

FURNISHING OF NECESSARIES. Church staff members serve pursuant to their religious commitment and conviction rather than for monetary gain or other traditional commercial or financial motives or incentives. Nevertheless, the Church will, pursuant to this covenant, furnish certain necessaries, including a weekly nominal "pocket money" allowance, and, for certain staff positions, room and board. The furnishing of these necessary items is not intended to be and is not compensation for services performed by the applicant, but rather it provides an opportunity for the Church to establish an appropriate environment within which religious and spiritual awareness may receive the greatest prospect for enhancement and in which such matters constitute the sole reward for services. The amount of weekly allowance may vary depending upon economic conditions generally prevailing within the Church.

END QUOTE # 6
from http://www.researchthetruth.com/cosdocs-staff.pdf

This is a highly revealing paragraph. The reason the room, board, and classes are not considered compensation is that CoS would have to declare them as income, and would have to pay its share of Social Security taxes on these items, which are considered "in-kind" in tax lingo. Furthermore, once these items showed up on the worker's paycheck the worker would have to pay the worker's share of Social Security on the in-kind items. With a pittance for wages, the worker would be even more impoverished by having Social Security taxes deducted on room board, and courses!

Furthermore, if CoS considered the room, board and training as that week's income, that means that the worker EARNED them. Once the worker quit or was fired, there would be NO freeloader debt, since everything was already earned. Presently of course, the freeloader debt is unenforceable and illegal, but the worker doesn't know that. CoS can only scare the worker with freeloader debt threats, as a tool to keep the worker from quitting; it could never enforce the freeloader debt.

*Operation Clambake Message Board :: View topic - National Minimum Wage in the UK

xenubarb · Oct 5, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Anonymous;1017869 said:

When I was in the SO in the mid-1990s, the SO staff at Bridge Publications were paid minimum wage, had to wear "civies" (regular business clothes) and were charged for their berthing and food. They were charged an amount to bring their wages down to the same level as the rest of the SO staff... $50/week. They were not allowed to get their own apartments. In other words, the minimum wage was just "for show" because C of S thought that they had to pay minimum wage for Bridge Pub staff.

So basically you had no choice as to where you could live? I believe that busts loose a few regulations that prohibit that sort of thing, i.e. you cannot force ppl to live in your buildings and then charge them rent. Might have come from the Tony Alamo Ministries case.

dt2000 · Oct 5, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

xenubarb;1018206 said:

So basically you had no choice as to where you could live? I believe that busts loose a few regulations that prohibit that sort of thing, i.e. you cannot force ppl to live in your buildings and then charge them rent. Might have come from the Tony Alamo Ministries case.

That is right. Early 90s anyone who lived "off base" was gotten to move into one of the berthing buildings. There were not a lot that did live off base but there were a select few and I am pretty sure they were SO that either previously had money and/or were getting minimum wage.

For example Rena and Brian Weinberg (who were both in ABLE International, which also received minimum wage until I think 93?), they had an apartment near CC Int. They were then made to move into the Anthony Building. It was considered an "ethics matter" if you refused or disagreed.

My ex-husband was in BPI for a while (mid to late 90s) and there were some areas of BPI that got minimum wage and others that didn't. I don't recall all of the specifics but, I do remember when he was a Sales Manager he was getting more than $50 a week.

OTBT · Oct 11, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Stumbled across this old link, that has interesting background info.

Report to the Council for Spiritual Integrity (author unknown)

BPI BRIDGE PUBLICATIONS INCORPORATED.

BPI (formerly a part of CSC called "Pubs U.S.") was set up as a profit
making corporation prior to the corporate changes of December 1981. A
separate mission had been fired to do this. BPI is a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Church of Scientology of California. It was set up
as a profit corp. ostensibly to facilitate royalty payments to LRH.
BPI was the source of many problems. Management (WDC & CMO INT) wanted
to run BPI directly and tightly, just like an org.

They (management) wanted to pay the BPI staff S.O. pay only. BPI
staff were legally entitled to minimum wage and overtime pay for hours
over 40. CMO INT Management apparently would not hear of this despite
the advice of legal staff and the church attorneys. There were times
during 1981, 1982 & 1983 when BPI staff were paid less than minimum
wage, and not paid for the overtime they were forced to work. BPI
records were apparently falsified to hide this fact. Ex-BPI staff
filed complaints with the labor board which later flapped. Such
complaints may or may not be public record. BPI may or may not have
totally cleaned up its act since then.

BPI was also allowed to demand that orgs buy certain quanities of
books from them. BPI also had in its possession various checkbooks of
different orgs and would write checks on them to BPI accounts for
books.

OTBT · Oct 12, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Bridge Publications 501(c)(3) application to IRS

Bridge Publications Inc.
4751 Fountain Avenue
Los Angeles, CA. 90029
Form 1023

Page 2F

Part II, Question 1, Narrative Description of Activities

As a general matter, staff of Sea Org organizations live and
work in a manner befitting their fundamental and total commitment
to the Scientology faith. They live communally in church-provided
berthing and eat communally in a church-provided dining room. They
are required to live on church premises, so they can live free of
the distractions of the secular world and be ready to attend to
their religious duties at any time during the day or night.

Sea Org members are compensated for their ecclesiastical
service with a nominal allowance (currently $50.00 a week) and
small bonuses for good performance of their assigned duties, room
and board, medical and dental cost (as needed) and child care or
school tuition for children. They also may receive commissions
from sales of Scientology religious books ranging from 2.5% to 15
percent of the sales price.

Since Bridge is subject to federal minimum wage laws, its
staff are compensated at the minimum wage rate rather than the Sea
Org nominal allowance. BPI staff members who serve as book sales
managers are compensated on the basis of either a very modest
commission on books they sell or minimum wage, whichever is higher.
Usually the amounts received are not more than minimum wage. All
Bridge staff members live and eat in the same communal setting as
staff of other Sea Org organizations and pay part of their
compensation to Church of Scientology Western United States, (which
maintains the complex of buildings where Bridge staff and other Sea
Org members are berthed) for their food and berthing and other
expenses. In the future, Bridge staff may be compensated in the
same manner as other Sea Org members provided this is approved by
the Labor Department.

===========================================

Jesse Prince

ASI is a for-profit corporation and paid its staff minimum wage plus a bonus based on royalties collected. Every week ASI had to get more and more money in order to keep its stats up to receive bonuses. ASI staff were in fact Sea Org members that were paid very well when you consider the average Sea Org member was paid $24.00 per week. It was considered a privilege to be on staff at ASI and the staff were encouraged not to discuss with other Sea Org members what they were paid weekly in order not to create a rift among Sea Org members.

===========================================

Astra Woodcraft

17. When I was 14 years old, I started doing a Scientology course at the Celebrity Centre in Hollywood. Soon after, two Sea Org recruiters approached me. They were recruiting for Bridge Publications, which is a Sea Org organization. They told me that if I joined their group, I would get paid minimum wage {which was several hundred a week, a lot of money for a 14 year-old); that I would not have to wear a uniform like most Sea Org members;and that I would go to school and finish my education. They also told me that when I was older and wanted to have children I could.

===========================================

Okeedokee, can anyone answer why Scientology Bridge Publications stopped paying Minimum Wage in 2002 (see OP), when Bridge Publications freely admits to the IRS that they are subject to Federal Minimum Wage Laws?

Scilon lawyers are currently trying to argue that they are exempt from Minimum Wage Laws...

Sponge · Oct 12, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

OTBT;1025102 said:

Okeedokee, can anyone answer why Scientology Bridge Publications stopped paying Minimum Wage in 2002 (see OP), when Bridge Publications freely admits to the IRS that they are subject to Federal Minimum Wage Laws?

Scilon lawyers are currently trying to argue that they are exempt from Minimum Wage Laws...

Operation Clambake Message Board :: View topic - March 5th Update on Headley Labor Cases

The answer is what I posted earlier in this thread. When Galaxy Press took over the fiction sales, BPI no longer carried on substantial unrelated business activities and fell into line with the Sea Org pay standard.

Anonymous · Oct 13, 2009

Re: When some Sea Org staff were paid Minimum Wage

Sponge;1025660 said:

Operation Clambake Message Board :: View topic - March 5th Update on Headley Labor Cases

The answer is what I posted earlier in this thread. When Galaxy Press took over the fiction sales, BPI no longer carried on substantial unrelated business activities and fell into line with the Sea Org pay standard.

Salary at Bridge

Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2004 4:41 am
Guest
Anonymous-Remailer@See.Comment.Header.gmsociety.org (Lagniappe) wrote in message news:<WHD5AOZ238308.5137731481@anonymous.poster>...
Quote:
NOTE: This message was sent thru a mail2news gateway.
No effort was made to verify the identity of the sender.
--------------------------------------------------------

I was told by someone at Bridge, that up until last year, all the staff
members at Bridge Publications received legal minimum salary,
even though they were SO members, if they were on the EPF they
got only half pay.

<snip>

But since last year they're now back on that crappy SO salary, and
they're no longer getting minimum wage. I don't know yet by what
means they did this but they're sure getting away with it.

And I wonder if Bridge, is paying for their social security retirement
as the law requires, so that they exist as human beings for the rest
of society.

Also how can they pay the staff SO salary if Bridge is not a church or
non-profit organization, of course we know they don't make profit
because their tapes and books don't sale. Just ask Walden.

<snip>

I think I have some idea of what may have happened here.

Believe it or not, one of the organizations that received Tax Exempt
Status by the IRS as part of the whole "IRS Win" was Bridge.

However, there was a problem. At the time, both Scientology books and
LRH fiction books were both being published and handled by Bridge. If
it was only "church materials" that were being handled by the org, it
would have made some sense to call it non-profit, but handling fiction
which was being marketed in public bookstores?

So at that time, the staff were still being paid minimum wage and
paying out of their salaries to estates for their food and berthing.
They wore "regular" career type clothes during the week and uniforms
on the weekend. (though I believe some of the backlines types, like
the art department, probably wore uniforms more or less all the time).

I noticed in the last few years the fiction part of Bridge has been
split off into another organization ("Galaxy Press"). It appears to be
in an entirely separate location, etc. I think this was the solution
to the problem. They are now two totally separate corporations, one
non-profit for church materials, one a "regular" company for LRH
fiction.

This would have allowed Bridge to become a "regular" Sea Org org who
wear uniforms all the time and get SO pay.

Bridge used to be a great avenue to recruit young kids through,
because they did get paid a regular wage and didn't have to wear
uniforms. Bridge's recruiter (Gavin Potter) was considered to be
pretty much the best recruiter in Scientology. I guess *those* days
are over.

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