Should I be paid more for working on Memorial Day?

Question

I came into work today without realizing it was a national holiday. It turns out every business around me - restaurants, salons, and retail stores - are closed but ours (I work in a clothing store). We're a small business, and I think the owners may have forgotten about the date. One of my customers told me it was state law that I should be paid time and a half if I work today. Obviously, I'd love that, but I can find any references to the law online, and I'm nervous to bring it up.

I live in Ohio. Do any of you know about Holiday Labor Laws in that state? Thanks very much! References would be appreciated if possible.

Answer 1

I am working today and it sucks, but no extra pay for holidays. i think cayann has to much time on her hands. get a job
and see if you want hte same pay on holidays

Answer 2

You can always search on yahoo for general labor laws.

I know for a fact though that some companies, to be nice, pay extra to work on holidays. But there is no federal requirement to do so, like there is if someone was to work more than 40 hours a week. and most states do not require businesses to pay extra on any holiday. The government does require businesses to let people off for religious observations though such as christmas and easter, and makes businesses give job protection if someone does not come into work to observe a religious holiday, but i do not think that applies to holidays such as memorial day, labor day, independence day, etc

Answer 3

If you have to deal with outside vendors that are closed, and you are inconvenienced and work is more difficult as a result ..for example, banks being closed and communications problems that could hinder business transactions because of the holiday then yes, you should be paid more for this.

Time and a half is not state law for working on holidays, although it is highly recommended in order to give employees incentive and drive to work on days that most others are off. If it's a Federal holiday, the general guideline is time and one half for hours worked or the day off to coincide with the rest of the country. There are no Holiday labor laws for you to reference. Since you are in retail, stores typically stay open for holidays such as these to take advantage of most every one else's days off in order to drive sales.

You're pretty much out of luck.

**to answer the below post regarding 'no research done' ..that's ridiculous. I manage human resources for the company i work for. If we have a POLICY THAT SAYS THAT HOLIDAYS ARE PAID FOR..we're violating OUR OWN POLICY..It's up to us to decide whether or not to implement a policy that says holidays are paid for. It may be standard business etiquette to provide paid holidays, but employers are aboslutely NOT REQUIRED to pay employees for holidays. You need to re-read your link and understand the language that's presented by the government. It never says we're required to do that. I don't break the law at work.

Answer 4

Answerer #1 has got it all wrong. Suing for working on a holiday is very stupid and most of the answerers have not done any research. As business etiquette goes, employees are paid time and a half if they work on holidays (Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, etc). Law-wise I have attached a link to the U.S. Department of Labor Regulations on Holiday work. All you need to do is a little research to find what you need.

Answer 5

No, there is no such law in the state of Ohio. There is no federal law about holiday pay either. I personally dislike paying more on ANY holiday. It's just another day.

Answer 6

Depends on your contract. That should have been decided before you began working there. I don't think there's a law saying they have to.

Answer 7

You shouldnt get paid any more, but if i were you, I would sue them anyway