Beauty Salons of America employees say they haven't been paid in weeks

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Employees at Beauty Salons of America in Dadeland Mall didn't show up for work Monday, but instead they headed to the company's headquarters to ask for their paychecks.

Each employee was told to call the company's CEO, John Repstock.

"It's been like this the whole month of January," Jessica Valerio said.

Valerio told Local 10 News reporter Hatzel Vela that she has four kids to feed.

"We were supposed to get paid on Friday. We haven't got paid," she said. "They don't know if we're going to get paid this week or not, and everyone has bills."

This is the second time employees said they have had to wait more than a week to get paid.

"How many people you feel are without a check at this point?" Vela asked another employee.

"A lot," she said. "Hundreds."

Tiffany Sanchez said she got fired because she complained about the problem by e-mail.

The email said in part, "For the last three months, our pay checks have been delayed for whatever reason, which we never get one."

Sanchez said they haven't been paid since Dec. 27.

Another employee, Judith Martinez, said no one is telling them why they haven't been paid. She said they aren't asking for any favors but just want their hard-earned money.

"They said that there were no funds to pay us, that they would pay, but they don't know when," another woman said.

Most of the employees said they are worried, because they need their checks to pay their bills.

Numerous attempts by Local 10 News to contact the company's CEO were unsuccessful.