MILWAUKEE — Summerfest said Wednesday it has cut ties with one of its vendors after employees say they weren't paid.
Marquette University students Morgan Mandrell and Hannah Jablonowski wanted to make some extra money over the summer.
"I did it last year. I made like a ton of money last year doing it," said Mandrell.
They applied and were hired to work at Summerfest through a third-party company called MVP Event Staffing. According to the company's website, it provides food and beverage staff for large-scale events.
"We were just kind of pouring drinks out for people, doing the register stuff, and getting people food," said Jablonowski.
They both say they worked the last weekend of Summerfest. But now more than a month later, they've yet to get their paycheck.
When Mandrell and Jablonowski reached out to MVP Event Staffing to inquire about the checks that they were supposed to get for the days they worked, they said they got no response.
"It's been over a month and we haven't heard from them. We've been contacting them nonstop," said Mandrell. "It's like $800 probably that they owe me."
"Mine is like around half of that like around $400," said Jablonowski.
TMJ4 reporter Taylor Lumpkin called MVP Event Staffing to try and get some answers. The only number listed is on a Facebook page. The call went straight to voicemail and no one called back.
Lumpkin also emailed the support and HR staff listed on the company's website as well as the employee in charge of payroll. But still no answer.
This isn't the first time MVP Event Staffing has been accused of paycheck delays.
Earlier this year in Tulsa Oklahoma, dozens of employees hired to work the PGA Championship say they hadn't been paid more than a month after the event wrapped. Several are now working with an attorney to get their paycheck.
"It was a little upsetting to see because it's happening to so many other people all over the country," said Jablonowski. "I have rent to pay and I have all of these bills and things that I needed to pay for. I was under the impression that I would get paid within two weeks."
TMJ4 reached out to Summerfest to see if it was aware of the allegations made against the third-party vendor. A spokesperson says they are looking into the complaints.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. also provided TMJ4 News with the following statement:
“After utilizing MVP Event Staffing (MVP) in 2021 without issue, Milwaukee World Festival, Inc (MWF) contracted with the company again in 2022 for various festival services. We are extremely disappointed to learn that MVP has not followed through with payment for services rendered during Summerfest and have since cut ties with MVP. MWF has fully paid MVP for services during the 2022 festival. Additionally, we have attempted to contact them on several occasions, and have not received a response. MWF will continue to make attempts to reach MVP with the goal of resolving this situation.”
