Question of legallity of bosses actions?

[Bigwigbob]

I work at a small cafe in an even smaller town. Thursday nigt the boss asked me to wrap potatoes in aluminum foil to bake the next day. I got to doing other things and completly spaced out the potatoes. The next day when I came in the boss had docked me an hour for "not getting all my work done". Can she legally do this and if she cannot does anyone know where I should turn her in to?

What is the punch line in this thread?

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by Bigwigbob

She ownes the place. I told her it was illegal to do that and she gave me the hour back. I had no idea if it was or not. She has done it to others who have worked there and the bitch is like a 3 year old on a power trip

Heh...I didn't see this post before I started replying. I've got the blood of several generations of working class people flowing through my veins and I'd sure as hell tell a boss like that to stick it where the sun don't shine. Glad to see the bitch backed off. She knew it was against the law.

[cdcox]

When I was 16, I worked at McDonald's for six miserable months. They would routinely clock us out an hour after closing, whether we were finished cleaning up or not. I was too stupid at the time to know that they couldn't do that.

[Boozer]

Yes, it is illegal. Contact your state department of labor. Better yet, tell your employer you're going to do that if they don't reinstate your hour. Then when you get fired for it, you have a lay-down wrongful discharge case. You might want to tell them that, too.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

As Wal-Mart and Best Buy will attest, you must be paid for every minute, much less every hour, worked on the clock.

I've worked at a Wal-Mart warehouse in northern California for a long time now. I have had a boss try to get me to work off the clock once. They used to have a built in "window" on the clock because they paid in quarter-hour increments. If you got off the clock within seven minutes after you were supposed to, your time would be adjusted back to the nearest quarter hour. It was done that way because unauthorized overtime resulted in a disciplinary action and people would get sloppy and clock off a few minutes late. That way you could get away with it and not get in trouble. She suggested one shift that the group I was part of use that window every day to do our day end paperwork. I just got really still and asked her in a sarcastic tone,"You're not suggesting that I work off the clock every day are you? I'm sure you wouldn't want to suggest something like that to me." She hemmed and hawed and backed off fairly quickly.

[Logical]

Originally Posted by Skip Towne

Do you have a contract? Are you a union member? If the answer to these questions are no then she can do pretty much what she wants. You are what is called an "at will" employee. In other words you are a POS with no rights.

Actually that is not true, you cannot take away hours as punishment. However, she could theoretically fire this person since he is an at will worker. She would still have to pay him for all hours worked legally. State labor relations board would take care of such a thing.

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by listopencil

I've worked at a Wal-Mart warehouse in northern California for a long time now. I have had a boss try to get me to work off the clock once. They used to have a built in "window" on the clock because they paid in quarter-hour increments. If you got off the clock within seven minutes after you were supposed to, your time would be adjusted back to the nearest quarter hour. It was done that way because unauthorized overtime resulted in a disciplinary action and people would get sloppy and clock off a few minutes late. That way you could get away with it and not get in trouble. She suggested one shift that the group I was part of use that window every day to do our day end paperwork. I just got really still and asked her in a sarcastic tone,"You're not suggesting that I work off the clock every day are you? I'm sure you wouldn't want to suggest something like that to me." She hemmed and hawed and backed off fairly quickly.

I was a dept. supervisor at Best Buy. At night we had to clock out on time to avoid overtime. But, we were still required to attend the closing meeting.

To make a long story short, Best Buy eventually had to make a blanket payment to any employee that worked for Best Buy during like 1995-2000 [not completely sure]

One day I got a check in the mail for all the unpaid labor that everyone had done.

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

I was a dept. supervisor at Best Buy. At night we had to clock out on time to avoid overtime. But, we were still required to attend the closing meeting.

To make a long story short, Best Buy eventually had to make a blanket payment to any employee that worked for Best Buy during like 1995-2000 [not completely sure]

One day I got a check in the mail for all the unpaid labor that everyone had done.

We have opening meetings and general meetings that occur mid-shift. If we had them at the end we just wouldn't go. But yeah, this is the same reason Wal-Mart has all of these same types of lawsuits going against them right now. Not to say that this is the only reason for the suits, this is just the explanation for some of them.

[KcMizzou]

Sort of off topic, but...

My company is union. (Teamsters) A fellow employee was fired during a shouting match with the manager. He fought it (for months). Eventually he was paid almost a full year in back pay, along with getting his job back. Then they paid him another 5 grand to go ahead and quit.

The worst part of it was... the guy was totally worthless.

[Bob Dole]

If you're in MO and they routinely screw over employees, you can file a complaint with the Wage and Hour folks. Try laborstandards@dolir.mo.gov

Way back in 19mumblemumble, Bob Dole had a boss who refused to pay us for mandatory staff meetings. That policy came back and bit him on the ass after a call to Wage and Hour and the subsequent investigation.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Originally Posted by Bigwigbob

I work at a small cafe in an even smaller town. Thursday nigt the boss asked me to wrap potatoes in aluminum foil to bake the next day. I got to doing other things and completly spaced out the potatoes. The next day when I came in the boss had docked me an hour for "not getting all my work done". Can she legally do this and if she cannot does anyone know where I should turn her in to?

You, my friend ,will be replaced by one of our good friends from across the
southern border.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by listopencil

I've worked at a Wal-Mart warehouse in northern California for a long time now. I have had a boss try to get me to work off the clock once. They used to have a built in "window" on the clock because they paid in quarter-hour increments. If you got off the clock within seven minutes after you were supposed to, your time would be adjusted back to the nearest quarter hour. It was done that way because unauthorized overtime resulted in a disciplinary action and people would get sloppy and clock off a few minutes late. That way you could get away with it and not get in trouble. She suggested one shift that the group I was part of use that window every day to do our day end paperwork. I just got really still and asked her in a sarcastic tone,"You're not suggesting that I work off the clock every day are you? I'm sure you wouldn't want to suggest something like that to me." She hemmed and hawed and backed off fairly quickly.

Donkey fan and WalMart employee!!

I believe you achieved the penultimate level of suckage!

[4th and Long]

[Simplex3]

Originally Posted by Bigwigbob

She ownes the place. I told her it was illegal to do that and she gave me the hour back. I had no idea if it was or not. She has done it to others who have worked there and the bitch is like a 3 year old on a power trip

She's probably never been in charge of s**t before this. I'm just guessing, but the money to open the place came from something other than her hard work, right? Husband's money? Inheritance?

Same thing with most homeowner's associations. You wind up with someone who had a bunch of free time winning, but they've never had any power before and don't know how to handle it.

[58-4ever]

Get her back anyway you can. Visine in the coffee is always good. steal office supplies. Hide a fish in her office....I have many more if these don't make you feel better.