FOR THOSE THAT WORKED FOR CORA, LLC a/k/a Creating Opportunities by Recognizing Abilities, OR YOU KNOW SOMEONE THAT WORKED THERE – IF YOU ARE STILL OWED MONEY AND HAVE NOT FILED A CLAIM FOR YOUR BACK DUE WAGES YOU CAN FILE YOU CLAIM BY SENDING THE FOLLOWING FORM TO THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF LABOR…

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/forms_pdfs/lsse/mw-31a.pdf

THE SAME WOULD APPLY TO THOSE THAT EVEN WORKED AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR ALSO. THERE IS LOTS OF INFORMATION AVAILABLE ABOUT HOW EMPLOYEES ARE MISCLASSIFIED AS INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, AND HERE GOES A LITTLE SOMETHING FROM THE IRS JUST TO GET STARTED…

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1779.pdf

AND FOR THOSE WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT W2’S OR 1099’S ETC – IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM CORA, OR IF THE FORMS YOU RECEIVE ARE INCORRECT FILE THIS…

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4852.pdf

NOW FOR THOSE THAT ARE AFRAID OF BEING LABELLED AS A TROUBLEMAKER, OR IF YOU FEEL THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAD WITH CORA TURNED SOUR BECAUSE IT WAS YOUR OWN FAULT… THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT FEEL THAT WAY. AND AS IT TURNS OUT IF YOU HAVE COME ACROSS THIS INFORMATION BEFORE…

http://dockets.justia.com/docket/court-dcdce/case_no-1:2008cv00083/case_id-129288/

AND IF YOU WERE WONDERING WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. YOU CAN REGISTER FOR PACER FOR FREE TO VIEW THE RECORDS AT 8 CENTS PER PAGE.

(you will be billed later by Pacer for the records you viewed, not at the time you view them and I accrued less than $10 in charges)

http://pacer.psc.uscourts.gov/psco/cgi-bin/register.pl

I READ THE ABOVE DOCUMENTS REGARDING THE CASE AND IT WAS SHOCKING – YET VERY WELL WORTH THE 8 CENT PER PAGE COST - EVEN THOUGH I WAS SO APPALLED BY WHAT I READ & CRIED FOR DAYS!!! I HAD TO ACCEPT AFTER READING THE DOCUMENTS, THE TIME I INVESTED INTO CORA TO TRY AND MAKE IT WORK WAS FOR NOTHING OTHER THAN TO LINE SOMEONE ELSE’S POCKETS.
IF YOU STILL DOUBT THE FACTS – CALL THE NJ DOL YOURSELF AND VERIFY JUST HOW MANY CLAIMS HAVE BEEN FILED ON THIS COMPANY. READ THE COURT RECORDS ABOUT THE LAWSUIT THE CEO HAD FILED ON HER IN 2008. ASK THE NJ DOL IF THE CEO HAS RESPONDED TO THEM – IT HAS BEEN REPORTED THEY THE NJ DOL HAVE TRIED TO CONTACT THE CEO SEVERAL TIMES AND THERE IS NO RESPONSE. JUST LIKE THE REPORTS OF MANY PEOPLE THAT HAVE SENT EMAILS TO THE COMPANY WONDERING WHEN THEY WILL BE PAID – THERE ARE NO ANSWERS THERE EITHER, IT’S LIKE EMAILS JUST ENTER INTO A BLACK HOLE. THERE HAVE BEEN ONLY FALSE PROMISES OF WEEKLY UPDATES ABOUT THE PAYROLL SITUATION LIKE THE ONE SENT OUT BY THE CEO ON NOVEMBER 2ND 2009 WHERE IT STATED - We will continue to issue weekly updates such as this. THERE HAVE BEEN NO WEEKLY UPDATES.
IN THE END, BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF RESPONSE FROM THIS COMPANY, AND FAILURE TO USE PROPER COMMUNICATION SKILLS THE CEO HAD BURIED THE COMPANY INTO DEEPER DEBT BECAUSE THE CHARGES FOR THE PENALITIES BY NOT RESPONDING TO THE NJ DOL ARE WAY MORE THAN WHAT IS OWED IN BACKWAGES TO THE PEOPLE. THIS JUST PROVES THAT THE CEO IS NOT THE BUSINESS PERSON THEY CLAIM TO BE…

http://www.isp-planet.com/news/2006/coraworks.html

HOW COME IT SAYS THE WORD “SUBCONTRACTED” INSTEAD OF “SENIOR MANAGEMENT TURNAROUND CONSULTANT”?

TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE COMMENTS MADE BY JEFF, I KNOW FOR A FACT THERE IS MORE THEN A FEW PEOPLE ON A FULOUGH AND ONE OF THE THEM WAS DONE WITH OUT ANY NOTICE TO ANY ONE UNTILL THE DAY BEFORE. SOME OF US X EMPLOYEES PUT ARE HEART AND SOUL IN TO THIS AND TO ONLY HAVE IT CRUSHED. YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO YOU CAN TRAIN PEOPLE ON ONE JOB OR PROJECT AND THEN TURN AROUND AND TRAIN THEM ON ANOTHER AND THINK THEY ARE GOING TO MAKE ANY KINDA OF QUOTAS WHEN THEY HAVE 50 STATES TO LOOK FOR WHAT EVER PROJEC THEY ARE DOING HAVE THEY HAVE LOOK AT THE STATE FOR MONTHS AND THINK THAT THEY ARE GOING TO GET ANY WHERE OR THE TIMES THAT THE PORJECT CHANGED 4 TIMES IN ONE WEEK . OR WHEN YOU GET TOLD ONE THING AND IT IS NEVER HAPPENS. HOW IS IT FAIR THAT WE DID WHAT WE WERE TOLD AND THEN FIND OUT IT WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH OR TO FIND OUT THEY WANTED YOU GONE CAUSE YOU KNEW TO MUCH . OR TO GET TOLD YOU TO TAKE MORE MEDS CAUSE YOU NOT THINKING RIGHT . HOW IS IT FAIR TO THE VR OFFICE WHEN THEY ARE TOLD ONE THING TO ONLY FIND OUT IT IS UNTRUE TO I WAS TOLD MY LAP TOP WOULD WORK FOR CORA ONLY TO FIND OUT AFTER MY 90 DAYS THAT WE WERE HAVE TO HAVE 2ND LIFE AND YOU GUESSED IT MY LAP TOP COULD NOT BY UP GRADED AND I WITH MY OWN MONEY HAD TO GET A BRAND NEW DESK TOP THEN AFTER YOU BUT IT GET TOLD IN AN EMAIL THAT THERE IS NO WORK WE WILL SEND AND EMAIL I WAIT FOR THAT EMAIL FOR ONE HOLD MONTH NOT DOING ANY THING BUT WAITING . THEN TO FIND OUT THEY WANT ME BACK AS AN RA WHEN I HAD WORKED MY WAY UP TO 30 HOURS PLUS AND WAS A PROJECT MANGER AND DID A GREAT JOB AT IT BETTER THEN THEY THOUGHT I COULD DO LISTED BELOW IS MY REASON WHY I QIUT . I SO HAD MY HEART SET ON THIS THING TOO BUT WE ARE JUST NOT A FEW X-EMPLOYEE UPSET WITH CORA WE ARE MORE THEN I THINK YOU WILL KNOW AND ONE DAY JEFF YOUR DAY WILL COME WERE YOU ARE NOT THE POSTER BOY YOU WILL MISS UP AND YOU WILL BE FURLOUGH WITH OUT NOTICE TOO ... ONCE YOU START ASKIND THE WRONG ???'S YOU WILL BE NEXT.

THE LIST OF MY REASONS !!!
YOU CANT PROMISE PEOPLE THE WORK AND THE MONEY THEN PULL THE RUG OUT FORM THEM


May 15, 2009
Ilene Morris-Sambur
CORA, LLC CEO
541 Berkshire Valley Road
Wharton, NJ 07885
800.571.2397


Dear Ms. Morris-Sambur,
I am writing this with a heavy heart. I came to work for CORA in August 2008. I was extremely excited about my job. I was told that after I proved myself that I would be making $9.00 – $13.00 an hour and up to 40 hours per week. I was to be working making cold calls, to the Chamber of Commerce in whichever state I was given. After making calls for two days, I was given the position of RA. Within one week I was made Team Leader. After one week of being a Team Leader I was asked if I had any QC experience. I stated; that I felt based on my previous work experience that I did have the qualifications. When I was put into the QC Department I was made Supervisor. I was given 30 hours a week and got a dollar an hour raise. Because QC was only open from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm, I was not getting my 30 hours a week. I was able to make up the hours in the Sales Department doing research on old leads that had come through before the QC Department was established. My job entailed making calls to see if the phone numbers were valid, verifying addresses and contact persons. During all of this time I never received any formal training that was discussed with me and my DVR. My job in QC lasted about four months and the QC Department was made null and void, as the company was changing direction.
When the QC Department closed, I was made a Project Manager for the Remote Worker Program. I had to make calls to those that were on hold, due to needing equipment or IT access. The people that were able to either work on a computer, at a location other than their home or using an older computer, I would then send emails with the links needed to work. Once this was done my team would then train the people on their new position as an RA. I brought in so many people able to work that we were training on four different projects. In addition to the Remote Worker Program being put on hold, I was assisting in cleaning up the database when the furlough was put into place and my hours were cut. They went from 30 to 15 to 0. I was sent an email on March 31th stating “due to reconstruction (CORA and projects) there will be no work today. We will advise you later today/tonight for any new updates.” The email came in a half an hour before I was to begin my shift. To this day, the email has never come about returning to work.
I have had several phone calls in the recent weeks asking if I was coming back to work. Each time I stated that I wanted to speak with Mary Jo or anyone in Upper Management in the HR Department, to find out why things have turned the way they have with no explanation. I did find out that my new position was to be a sales consultant. I went from being head of QC to a Project Manager to a caller, with no explanation, rhyme, or reason. On top of that no one from Upper Management will speak to me about this. Being out of work for a month and a half with no explanation has made feel as though the company does not really care about the disabled workers, as they claimed by CORA Management. No one ever bothered to call and find out if I was doing ok, let alone talk about coming to work.

Because of the lack of communication, financial distress, and emotional hardship this has put on me, I am tendering my resignation effective 29 May, 2009.

Sincerely,

Tammy Wieting


As for who is another cora surviors is well it is me Tammy Wieting im not afarid to my name here


For the one that seem to LOVE CORA SOOOOOOOOOOO much and want to down grade the ones that have complained or think we dont the a mind to know what was done to us I want to know have you gotten your checks are you bills being paid in a timely matter And if you have your bill paid for the work you have done then why is that some are owed 1, 000 of dollars from Cora and it should not matter what we spend our money on it is OUR MONEY WE WORKED FOR IT I ALSO KNOW that some of you dont need the money as your have others in the home that help you . So untill you have been told by HR that you have to wait your turn and your turn NEVER comes. YOU still have pay your bill now matter what they are but you cant cause you have a company that cant even get their story straight.

Atrocious-awful, dreadful, terrible, unspeakable, abominable, painful...
All of this and more is what I suffered at the hands of Cora's Ceo. I have been disabled for 10 years now and thought I would never be able to go back to work, all hope was gone for me due to severe spinal diseases that there is no cure for. And then there is more and more speculations of employment via the internet that allows you to work at home, woo-hoo, this is right down my alley, I can do this, so once again, there is hope. I got with my VR counselor and we set up a plan for me to return to the workforce, although a little unorthodox to some, just perfect for me. This would allow me to once again feel like I have a reason to get up in the mornings, feel worthy, resourceful, regain some self esteem and just plain feel like I have a purpose again. So for $3500.oo of the taxpayers money from the state of TN. Cora scooped me right up and put me into, what i thought was going to be my saving grace. Little did I know that I was stepping right into a small piece of hell on earth. Please, let me explain. Not only I, but many others joined this company with promises of great training, 90 day mentoring, job placement (internal and/or external). Little did we know that none of this would be true at the end of our "90" days, or shortly thereafter we were put on "furlough", yes that's right, "furlough". At that time we were told that because of some "trouble makers" within Cora, and the lies that were reported to some Voc. Rehab. Counselors, the money that Cora counted on to pay it's employees was not there, severly cutting into their monetary resourses. Well, you should have heard the things that Ilene Morris-Sambur, Ceo of Cora, was saying outright about some people within the company; although she was not calling people out by name, she was however, calling people that had spoken to their VR counselors, liars, trouble makers, deceitful, problems, etc. She would say that these people obviously had mental issues and hoped they would get help, that they just don't understand that not paying employees is a normal part of business, that these people are contemptuous and have no respect for their employer and I could go on and on, but I think you get the behavior that was being directed at some of us employees. And yes, I was one of the employees that had spoken to my counselor, I had discussed how I and others were being treated there. I was not, however, one of her "orginal troublemakers", but you can put me in that classification now. I am not going to set by and listen to anyone, much less an empoyer, put others down the way she did. I do have a voice and I will speak for others if they cannot. She has disgraced many of us, and yes, even though she never came out and said any names, I took it very personally because she did speak these words in open forum, wrote them on open communication boards and made many of us feel as though we were not worthy of being in "her" company much less have the right to speak the truth against it. If any question was raised about not getting paid, which happened on a regular basis, some were scolded to the point that they thought they were doing something wrong by just asking for what was rightfully theirs. I for one had to demand for my pay on several occasions. She was not going to make me feel ashamed for asking for it. I earned it and damn it I needed it. I did not connect with Cora to give the Queen a hand out. So I demaned for my pay right up to my termination on the 27th of August. Yes that's right, I was not going to let the Queen run me off and quit just so she could have the satisfaction to say that I was another one that could not handle this type of work and didn't have "what it takes to work for Cora". I stayed and demanded answers from her and demanded my pay until she had no other choice but to terminate me. She did however, after my posting in the Q&A, say that I obviously had a comprehension problem because I had taken some of the things said the wrong way. Well how in the hell do you take, SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP, YOU'LL GET YOUR DAMN MONEY!!! I think I took it just like it sounded and when I called her out on that and demanded an apology, not only to myself but to the entire company, she said that I had comprehension issues that needed to be addressed. Well address this Queen Ilene, those of us that have been scorned by you and yours, that have been made to feel worthless by you and your words and writings, that you thought you were controlling, that has gotten out of the grasps of your ruthless hands and demeaning stature and HAVE moved on and althought you have planted the feelings of loss again, have taken away the self esteem of some, have made some feel hopeless again, I am here to say YOU HAVE NOT WON!!! These disabled people including me, will find other endeavours, and will connect with other employers that will see us for what we are worth, for the good sense and skills that we possess and we will be treated with the respect that we deserve and we will know that we do not have to stand by and allow you or anyone else treat us with the disrespect and contempt that we found within Cora. We are disabled and no one then nor now are asking that anyone "coddle" us, as you put it, we just demand that we be treated with the dignity and the upmost sense of importance that we deserve.
I hope all of you that worked in Cora have the best of luck and become everything that you desire, YOU ARE WORTH IT, don't let anyone tell you or make you believe otherwise. I am not affraid to give my name, it is Melissa Sadler, and I am here hoping to have my voice heard and hopefully help others see that all the bad seeds that Ilene planted in the them will not grow unless we give them energy. Turn your hurting thoughts into positive thoughts and do what you have to do to clear your mind of Cora and at the same time follow your dream; there is still hope out there and many other opportunities. Let's put the "fire" to work that Ilene lit in all of us, and not let her win, we will prevail. My best to you all.

The definition of despicable as stated in Wickapedia is "Fit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean; vile; worthless." That is the way I would describe the behavior with which CORA treats its employees. Knowing that most (or all, I am not sure) of their employees are disabled gives them a great advantage because in some cases, disabilities can zap a person's strength and keep them from being able to fight for their rights as readily as a more able bodied or physically well person.

Even more despicable is the emotional destruction caused by broad beating, criticizing, belittling and undermining employees for no other purpose than to keep people from complaining, in many cases.

Employees have waited weeks for paychecks which affect their benefits, even if they don't get the money. Employees have worked for weeks with no pay and are told that they should be thankful to be employed when they ask for it. New employees are hired when existing employees remain unpaid. Employees are pulled from department to department, upgraded and downgraded, used and overused according to the whim of one or two out of control people. Do they really believe that it is legal more or less ethical or moral to do this.

Very simply, when a company hires someone and they work for the company, the company pays them. The fact that the employees are disabled does not matter. The fact that they work from home does not matter. The fact that the company is not prospering does not matter. If CORA has to take out a loan, go into to personal funds or cut some of the executive salaries to do this, that is what is right.

I have been with the company for just over a year and have met some wonderful people. The employees are unique, genuinely compassionate people. The management also probably has the best intentions or had them. However, those in control simply don't seem to know how to run a business or made some bad decisions or just came from Mars or whatever. Doesn't matter. An employee deserves three things: (1) respect, (2) clear direction and (3) payment for completed work. CORA, give the people what they deserve.

Unpaid Wages and Payroll Problems
I truly believe in the original mission & purpose of Cora, LLC – and still do to this day, even though I am no longer there. I too am very upset by the matters occurring within the company. When I first started I thought it was going to be great to be able to have a little extra money in my pocket to help meet the needs of my family. I spent money to create my office space, and had internet service hooked up – and where did my investment go? Nowhere… it left me further behind in my bills and struggling even harder to survive. It took time away from my family and they became upset when I had nothing to show for it in the form of a paycheck. Most people believe that when you get a job and go to work – you get paid – and you shouldn’t have to ask and beg for your paycheck. It is something you are legally entitled to especially when you have signed agreements and contracts to work for the employer. I find it disturbing to think that the CEO of this company seems to think that “no employer owes you a living” - and they can’t seem to understand why people are so upset and making such negative comments. People are upset because they believed they would have a job and get paid on a weekly basis as in outlined on Cora LLC’s payroll/timecard policy statement, and are told during the interview process. Instead people end up being faced with having to beg for their checks and sending in emails crying hardship and destitution to the payroll department- and many of them have gone unheard – as I have spoken to one individual who is owed over $2000 in paychecks, and another is owed at least $1000, for more than two months of work – they sent in emails – and no one has gotten back to them. Oh and another thing – the CEO had the dandiest of ideas to post the employee’s name of who would be issued a check for the week on the company dashboard – what a great way to breed more hostility amongst the employees, as some would get upset because their name was not on the dashboard, and end up bad mouthing their co-worker receiving a check, no matter how big or small that check was.
I really don’t want to get into a tangent here and start “bashing” the company – truthfully I really loved it there – but could no longer tolerate the poisonous atmosphere being generated by the fact very few have gotten their checks. It truly is an awful and sad situation for so many great and talented people that have worked there and still work there. I have been wondering about a comment though in the past few days and that is the comment by the CEO written in words across the internal company dashboard… “Your actions have made me realize, my dream will not be accomplished as I once thought.”… Does the CEO expect people to work for free and not abide by the contractual obligations as set forth and advertised through the vocational rehabilitation agencies across this country? I don’t think these agencies have been told the truth as to why they have paid the $3500 fee per person to be “hired” by this company. If they knew they were paying that amount of money to help one person accomplish their “dream” they would be mad too… The “dream” is a great idea, but people need their paychecks.
My final message here … if you find yourself in the position where you are completely frustrated by Cora LLC, and need some help and don’t know where to turn, I believe I can find help you find the help you need. Don’t become a victim by what has happened here, be strong, and become a survivor… please feel free to email me at [email protected] . Thank you.