St. Mary’s Board of Appeals Chair Greg Callaway joined journalist Ahmar Mustikhan in a symbolic one-hour protest against the publisher of ST. MARY’S TODAY for not paying his dues Tuesday evening.
Callaway was holding a placard that read “Please Pay Your Bills.” He joined Mustikhan who had gone and stood in the parking lot at the Callaway Business Complex that houses the offices of ST. MARY’S TODAY and Mama Leone’s Brick Oven Pizza, both operated by publisher Kenneth Rossignol.
Callaway said Mr. Rossignol owes him $25,000. The journalist called off a planned daylong hunger strike slated for Wednesday as within hours of his protest, Mr. Rossignol returned him the pay in cash for the period ending Jan. 1O, 2007. That check was due on Jan. 17.
Mustikhan’s ordeal started Jan. 10 when his bank told him the last two paychecks he deposited at the Bank of America branches at Leonardtown and Lexington Park in the last week of December and first week of January respectively had bounced.
Many local school and college kids also complain of highhandedness and not getting their dues.
This Buddhist journalist waited patiently for one week and finally reported the matter to the office of States Attorney Richard Fritz, who promised he would look into it.
Mustikhan’s hand-written placard on Tuesday read “Be Nice, Pay Wage”, borrowing a part of the motto of St. Mary’s School Superintendent Dr Michael Martirano that reads “Work Hard, Be Nice.”
Soon he was joined by the chair of the St. Mary’s Board of Appeals with his bills placard.
Father Joe Sileo, pastor of the Holy Face Church helped resolve the matter partially as Mr. Rossignol owes Mustikhan fees for the bad check ($165), gas reimbursement for 14 weeks ($350) and on week’s pay (Jan 10 to Jan. 17).
The journalist’s bank balance has been running in the minus since the day the two bad checks bounced leaving him high and dry. And when the third check was due Jan 17, instead of paying him his check Mr Rossignol fired him.
Greg Callaway was delighted to see Mustikhan holding a placard and standing in Front of Mama Leone’s Brick Oven Pizza. The Burma-born journalist who has worked in three different countries for half dozen publishers described his 13-month experience both as fun and nightmare. “Fun in the sense of meeting the wonderful people in the American countryside and the many free lunches at one of the best places to eat in St. Mary’s, Mama Leone’s, and nightmare in the sense that for many months now I had to continuously remind Mr Rossignol about pay day and finally the two bad checks and not getting pay on Jan. 17.” He hoped Mr Rossignol would show respect for the labor laws of the State of Maryland.
I hope this time Mr. Rossignol will publish a cartoon of himself holding bad checks.
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