I was on salary. is it legal for someone to work you so many hours that you are making less than minimum wage?

Question

my problem is this, I worked so many hours that I was making less than minimum wage. however on my last check the owner said I didn't have enough hours and did not pay me salary and shorted me about 120.00. Is this legal.

Answer 1

No, it isn't.

You should probably ask a lawyer what to do, but lawyers are expensive so you could try the local workforce department or state job services. Try googling the name of your town and either "workforce" or "job services." If that doesn't work, try the state you live in.

These types of job centers should be able to give you advice on what is and isn't legal and what actions you can take for no charge.

Good luck and don't let them screw you over!

Answer 2

A lot of people turn down salaried positions because they make more dollars per hour as an hourly employee, especially if they normally work overtime.

If you're on salary, you're pretty much obligated to work for as long as it takes to get the job done. Salaried positions often come with a promotion, so I've known people that took slightly less pay to get the promotion and to have a shot at moving up in the organization.

I don't know about the "not enough hours" comment, unless your boss was saying that you didn't work a complete pay period. If that's the case, he would probably calculate how many hours you actually worked and paid you accordingly. I don't see anything wrong in that.

Answer 3

You should not be asking this question, because you have no reason to be working for less than minimum wage. Ask yourself why you would want to work for a company which disregards the needs of its employees - and then start asking other companies if they're hiring. Update: Don't waste your time arguing your worth with the people who are exploiting you. You cannot rely on anyone else to tell you what your time is worth - like many things in life, you must look out for your own needs (despite what others may tell you). Find a job that pays you in line with your skills and contributions - demand the pay you deserve and do not settle for anything less.

Answer 4

No, it is not legal and is out of compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act. You should keep track of all hours you work. Being an exempt employee does not mean you work extra hours for free. But, when you work extra hours you should be getting hours off to compensate. At the end of one full year see if the total hours worked exceed standard hours you would have worked as a fulltime, non-exempt employee. Consider compensatory time off given to you. Your employer would then owe you time and a half for the excess hours. This is not state law ... it's federal law. You shouldn't need a lawyer to collect your damages, just the local labor board. Your employer can't terminate your employment in reprisal for your filing a claim.

Answer 5

No, it is not legal. Some businesses will take advantage of employees by offering a salary and then forcing them to work an unrealistic amount of hours. Salary is based on the assumption of a 40 hour work week. If you work 60 hours one week, you are entitled to 20 hours off, somewhere else.

Answer 6

As a salaried employee, you are exempt from overtime, but you are also exempt from your pay being dependent on your hours. They have to demonstrate that you took time off in order to deduct pay for working less than 40 hours. If you worked 40 hours, you get the entire paycheck.

Answer 7

NO.

If you are salaried and have check stubs proving this then your employer owes you the full amount of your salaried check. He cannot switch back n forth between hourly and salary to fit his needs.
Contact the U.S. Labor Board and file a complaint immediately.

Answer 8

Check your state labor laws under gov.

Answer 9

report him to your local labor council

Answer 10

i dont think so. not only illegal but morally wrong. what a despicable boss