Daddy always said...

...get it in writing. I was once in a semi-professional group in college where I sang a cappella for a summer. I took the time to learn music, travel to places like Bumblefuck, Illinois to perform, and it basically took away from the time that I would normally have had a paying job. The person I sang with (a friend of mine) had promised payment per show. Once the end of the summer rolled around, he basically said he had nothing to pay me because he had to pay off his debts for obtaining all of the equipment we had used for the shows and paying the gas/van rentals for each show as well. It was that day that I learned to finally listen to my Dad after all those years. Whenever money is involved, whether it's friends or enemies, GET IT IN WRITING.

I'm now dealing with a job I recently left (keeping it oh-so non-descript since I don't want to get burned) and my former boss is trying to determine what I should be paid based on hours, even though our contract is based on time (# of weeks) I spent with the job. The contract even says from week to week that I get to determine my own hours. All of this being said, and 6 pages later in my contract -- the boss is trying to swindle me out of getting what I deserve. The sad thing is, the maximum amount of money I am asking for would work out to about $4.50 an hour as a full-time job. So take that "I'm going to calculate your work on an hourly basis" and shove it.