Hello Fellow Readers and Posters.

I am an ex-Scientology Class V Org Staff Member. I was on staff from 1993-1998. I lived on the PAC Base in LA for nearly a year for full-time training.

I officially "left" Scientology around 2006 or so. What I mean by "left" was that I decided to take the life risk and read about "the other side". I suppose it was a rough form of doing my Doubt formula. And hey, I did not die reading about OT III on the net!

Anyway, I am still reading and learning, and will post more detail about my life in Scientology when I feel ready to.

I hope I can find folks from my city and also lost SO friends I made while living on the PAC Base. It is so hard and isolating here in my town because I cannot find or form any sort of "support group" because of OSA infiltration. So, for now, this will have to be an anonymous on-line experience. At least we have that!

Just thought I'd drop by for a quick hello, and give a huge THANKS for everyone who has been posting so far. I have been learning so much from you.

P.S. My avatar is NO WAY tied with Cruise's new film, "Valkyrie". I am of Scandinavian descent, so I created my avatar as a Nordic Mythological female warrior!

You might be able to get back wages from Scientology, if you have a record, or can swear to, the hours you worked. You have two or three years to file before CoS escapes justice by claiming that your accusation is too old. This is known as the statute of limitations, which is three years for willful violations ( if CoS was deliberately underpaying you), or two years (if CoS made innocent mistakes caculating your wages -yeah right -rolls eyes).

See http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/backpay.htm about making your claim within two or three years.

Contact the Wage and Hour Division in your state using this website:
http://www.dol.gov/esa/contacts/whd/america2.htm
I believe you don't need a lawyer or expertise - the feds have staff to file a claim for you, and CoS would be insane to fight them.

You could really help your Sea Org buddies still slaving away, by doing this.

Welcome, Valkyrie!
So glad to have you here and looking forward to more of your story.

Valkyrie, you WERE entitled to minimum wage. If you made over $200 a year at CoS, they can't claim you were a volunteer. If you made a single interstate phone call, you were engaged in interstate commerce and thus are covered under federal minimum wage. It doesn't matter if you were a "minister" or "volunteer minister" or that CoS is a "religion," or that CoS has an agreement with the IRS. CoS can't defend itself by claiming you volunteered to be underpaid, since the government has a specific law against organizations forcing their employees to volunteer to receive sub-minimum wage. The billion year contract is unlawful and unenforceable. Room, board and courses don't count as pay since CoS never lists them as such on your pay stub, and thus CoS never pays its share of Social Security on your room board and courses.

So, you have a very good case.

Welcome Valkyrie-glad you're out and posting.

Yo, Salino, I'm glad you are BOTH out and posting.

la

And the CofS wouldn't "pay" you in courses or they would have to admit they "give" it to their employees, and won't be able to hold it over your head and extort from you a so-called "freeloader" debt (since you cannot require someone to return their wages).

Hi Valkyrie,

I was at PAC Base in 1995. Maybe we met. If you're in Clearwater (your comment about OSA and infiltration) then PM me. I can help. I'm ex-SO and ex-Scientologist living in Clearwater.

Valkyrie

I'm glad that you are out and when you are ready I'd love to read your story.

Opter

Hi Valkyrie. I look forward to reading your future posts. Congratulations on taking back your life!!!

Valkyrie, if you worked for CoS in 2006, my points stand. But I re-read your first post and you seem to have left staff more than three years ago. In which case you can't get back wages.

Valkyrie..........

Good Job on looking at *both* sides~ ! Isn't it amazing???



FANTASTIC~!

If you're in my town (LA)--let's get together for lunch, or dinner, after
Thanksgiving...eh?

If you're not, and you'd like to talk, give me a call.

I'm VERY Happy for you!

Tory/Magoo~~
(818) 588-3044

<snip>

If you did not die from reading OT III then I can only conclude you went past some words you did not understand and did not Word Clear(tm) them. If this had been done according to the tech then you would have surely died of pneumonia. Perhaps it was a piece of luck in this case.

I'm new here too. I was involved in Scientology for about 6 years
on and off from 1969 to 1975 or so. Almost all of it was on the
mission level (in Connecticut). Also had a few jaunts into the
NYC, Boston and DC orgs of those days. I did the HDAC course
at the mission and "interned" at the DC Org. My auditing took me
up to the old grade 2 if I recall correctly.

Fortunately, I was a "dilletante" and never got totally sucked
in as did some of my friends...One of them is dead now (at Hemet)
and his wife is now one of the prisoners in the hall. I started reading
this board when I got a hit (on google) that referred to these
old friends (Chuck and Kathy Lemmer).

I simply "drifted away" when they started raising prices to new
astronomical levels back in the mid 70's.

I won't be able to offer any important "inside info" that some
of the long time staffers and SO members here on the board
are able to relate. I'll be mostly a lurker but might post a
comment now and then.

Hey John, hi


CONGRATULATIONS On "Drifting away". You may see that as
an accident, I see it as one smart person!

GOOD JOB!

Happy Thanksgiving to you, and welcome to the board

Tory/Magoo~~

Thanks ladayla. I can raise one fist- but not two until I get my relatives out. But it is wonderful to be free of the brainwashing.

Welcome JohnS.