# Austin company looking to dock paychecks by amount of stimulus checks. **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 28, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516 "2020-03-28T16:10:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/61 "2020-03-30T00:39:48Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Is it legal to give people with kids a greater (or lesser) pay cut than people without? I don’t know if family size is a “protected class” in Texas, but I doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/62 "2020-03-30T05:35:39Z")
The company in question appears to be ImageNet Consulting, based in Oklahoma but with a branch in Austin. > **[OKC-based company wants to keep employees' $1,200 stimulus payments.... - The...](https://thelostogle.com/2020/03/29/imagenet-consulating-stimulus-payment)** > > One of the few positive things about the Coronavirus pandemic is that it shows us just how greedy, heartless and merciless some corporations can truly be. For example, we have learned via the Ogle Mole Network that ImageNet Consulting – an... ---
**Author:** ![Reginald\_Knutsen\_the\_3rd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85e7bf/32.png) [@Reginald\_Knutsen\_the\_3rd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reginald_Knutsen_the_3rd)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/63 "2020-03-30T05:59:02Z")
Attemping to earn anything above 1/4 of poverty wages will get you docked just the same on SSI/SSDI. It’s tough but it’s quintessential American values. ---
**Author:** ![LynnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/64 "2020-03-30T14:55:32Z")
Don’t you think there’s something more fundamental to consider here, more primal than economic/labor theory blah blah? That is: The abuse of power, and the _perception_ of abuse of power. At any given time, some people are in trouble, in physical or emotional pain, have experienced recent trauma, might be suicidal, might even be homicidal. Will it be less so under current circumstances? Such individuals won’t give the remotest flying fuck about employers’ legal rights or whatever. If they perceive that an employer/boss is exploiting this emergency situation to pig-fuck them over–they won’t give a shit about some theory or some limp excuse the employer drools out. So, were I such an employer, I’d worry about someone putting an axe thru my head. Seriously. Now is not the time to be perceived as exploiting a position of power to fuck over working people. The directive is: Don’t fuck over desperate workers with little to lose who might retaliate by slamming an axe thru your fucking head. –John Maynard Keynes ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/65 "2020-03-30T15:21:38Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > The company in question appears to be ImageNet Consulting, based in Oklahoma but with a branch in Austin. > > [OKC-based company wants to keep employees' $1,200 stimulus payments.... - The Lost Ogle](https://www.thelostogle.com/2020/03/29/imagenet-consulating-stimulus-payment/) Good find, eh. > [@](#): > > According to this blog post by company CEO Pat Russell, the privately held company – which is worth at least nine-figures – only has annual revenues that exceed $100-million, and margins that run about 40%, so they also obviously need their employees stimulus checks to remain so profitable! > > In fact, they need their employees kids stimulus payments, too! [Pat Russell gave this interview a year ago (19 February 2019)](https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:539eFr3pPEYJ:https://blog.imagenetconsulting.com/imagenet-a-year-in-review-2018): > [@](#): > > How Was 2018 for ImageNet? Which Key Goals or Milestones Were Hit? > > The fiscal year of 2018 was rounded off with record-breaking revenues totaling $120 million. Keep in mind that this figure is on the dealership level alone. ImageNet also achieved overall margins in excess of 40%. > > In a market in which organic growth is increasingly difficult to generate, there was a 10% jump in organic growth last year. Individual division performance was stellar as five divisions pulled in $10 million in revenue. 2018 finished with a record-breaking year in revenues of $120 million at the dealership level with overall margins of more than 40%. There has been significant growth outside of print. Electronic Content Management, Digital Displays, Managed IT, and 3D have all grown by 35% year over year, exceeding 10% of total revenue. > > It was a great year in terms of acquisitions. In total, four acquisitions have been completed including one in Oklahoma, Colorado, and Florida. These acquisitions will drive future growth for years to come, giving ImageNet the momentum to seize a stronger market position. What a fucking asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/66 "2020-03-30T15:23:56Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Wage theft is when they don’t pay you what they owe you for what you’ve already worked. > > If they notify you in advance of working that your pay will be going down, that’s just plain old at-will employment. It sucks, but so long as it doesn’t put anyone below the minimum wage (if any of these people aren’t exempt), I don’t know that it would be illegal. Arguably this is NOT a reduction in pay - it’s docking your pay for money that will be treated as an advance on your tax refund (if I understand how it’s expected to work). Since the amount of the stimulus varies by your income and your family size, you are losing more money by having 4 kids than the fellow next to you who has 1. If the company can’t afford to pay you for your work, they need to reduce hours. Why should the company benefit by essentially getting “free” work out of their workers? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/67 "2020-03-30T21:19:06Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > The company in question appears to be ImageNet Consulting, based in Oklahoma but with a branch in Austin. > > [OKC-based company wants to keep employees' $1,200 stimulus payments.... - The Lost Ogle](https://www.thelostogle.com/2020/03/29/imagenet-consulating-stimulus-payment/) Oops! It seems this company has now thought this over a little more carefully. The above-linked article (dated March 29) contains this link to a follow-up article (dated March 30): [Update: ImageNet Abandons Plan To Pocket Employee Stimulus Payments](https://www.thelostogle.com/2020/03/30/update-imagenet-abandons-plan-to-pocket-employee-stimulus-payments/) ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2020, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/68 "2020-03-30T21:20:44Z")
Somewhere there’s a dude wearing a cape and top hat twirling his mustache after having just tied a woman to the railroad tracks thinking to himself, “ImageNet Consulting has taken things too far!” ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/69 "2020-03-31T13:04:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Oops! It seems this company has now thought this over a little more carefully. i.e. they got caught. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/70 "2020-03-31T13:14:43Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Arguably this is NOT a reduction in pay - it’s docking your pay for money that will be treated as an advance on your tax refund (if I understand how it’s expected to work). No, you don’t understand. This has nothing to do with taxes at all. None. Zip. Zero. The only thing that comes into play is income where if you make over $75k they start cutting it back. You might be confused given that they are estimating the amount you get based on your 2020 income. Which, obviously, they generally can’t tell yet. So, come tax time next year, there will be a correction, if needed, if your income is less than they guessed, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2020, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/71 "2020-03-31T13:30:28Z")
Another thought: how would they even know if you qualify for the stimulus? Maybe you are married and your spouse makes enough to put you over the limit? It’s not like your employer has access to your tax returns. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516/72 "2020-04-01T00:27:42Z")
I don’t think it was addressed in this thread but shelter-in-place and other aspects of this are expensive. I might eventually eat all my pasta and soup, use my soap and toiletries, but I had to pay for them in March. I went way over March 2019 budget. I had to buy extra of this and use more of that. I had to get supplies for my kid’s homeschooling and other novel expenditures. Yeah we’re not going out to eat or the movies and saving money that way, but part of the reason this money is being sent out was that it costs a lot to follow best practices. I can’t comparison shop or double coupon day. I can’t safely go to three stores on successive days to get better deals. A check helps, not a lot and not enough for everyone, take the edge off. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/austin-company-looking-to-dock-paychecks-by-amount-of-stimulus-checks/850516.md?page=3)