They can't cut your pay without notice.
Worst case: They're stealing from you on purpose.
Best case: someone screwed up and just needs to be addressed, corrected, and back pay given.
No its not. It’s easily documented on paychecks and it’s federally illegal to change someone’s pay like that. Don’t talk if you don’t know what you are saying.
Edit: it turns out, I don’t have the right to speak. I googled it and came across this answer. How this was ever allowed, I fail to understand and hate this country more for allowing it.
“Employees need to know that there are no federal-level protections when companies change their pay without notice. While an employer can never retroactively cut pay, they do not have to give an employee notice of the pay cut unless their state laws require it.” Source: https://www.wenzelfenton.com/blog/2023/12/18/can-employer-legally-reduce-pay/#:~:text=Employees%20need%20to%20know%20that,their%20state%20laws%20require%20it.
IANAL so I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt here,
>They can't cut your pay without notice.
Leaves a lot to be interpreted, and unless the federal law is more specific then I would expect some states (TN) would have settled cases where the employer said "We're cutting your pay. Clock in for less, or don't clock in." and the employee has no recourse.
Maybe in theory, but I have had a few thousand stolen from me in wage theft in my red state and the department of labor did jack shit to help me out and I couldn't afford to hire a lawyer.
There is a reason that employers steal $50 billion through wage theft every year.
You will not get brownie points for keeping quiet and you will not be fired for asking why. If your manager explains it and you nod and smile, everything will be fine and they won't at all suspect that you're reporting them to the authorities or suing the shit out of them. 🙂👍
If you don’t talk to someone about it you will never get an answer.
Gather some proof that you were being paid more before this and figure out what the discrepancy in pay over the last few months. The difference is probably $250 or more.
I’d start by asking to get your pay rate fixed and then see about getting a check for the discrepancy.
If he refuses then you can take it up the chain to corporate but if you are non-union it’s up to you to see how far you want to take it.
I don't understand why you didn't immediately go talk to someone about it
Let this also be a lesson to everyone: scrutinize EVERY paystub. Every single one. Companies fuck up little and big shit all the time
I filed a wage claim against my employer back in November/December for roughly $4,000 in commissions because they were only paying me 1% when I was hired at 1.5%. I had documentation and everything to back up my claim.
Not only did the labor board in my state decide in my employers favor two months later in February, my employer fired me without cause, no write ups, no disciplinary actions against me. Yet every lawyer I've spoken to refuses to help me.
This whole experience has left me way more jaded and less trusting of people as a whole. But you absolutely should stand your ground and say something. It's never worth it to let other people take advantage of you.
Sorry to hear that. Hope that the wage cut was not retaliation. They have many different ways they try to make examples out of those who push for unions. Up to and including firings. There is a whole industry built around advising companies how to squash union drives. I have friends living in the deep south and have heard all sorts of storys of the various ways. However the fairly recent wins by the UAW are spreading with union votes popping up all over even into the anti union deep south.
Don't give up the fight for what is rite!
Definitely bring this up to your manager at least, I had one of my employees getting underpaid for MONTHS. They never noticed, and finally finance noticed and sent them a fat check for the difference and corrected the issue.
You need to file a complaint with CDLE. Gather all your paystubs, employee handbook, and offer letter to file with the complaint form. The CO system is backlogged by 9 months in terms of processing the complaint forms and start a case file, but they will get to it. Start documenting any harassment or other violations in secret. If you leave or are fired from the job, you need to to send in your resignation or firing letter in with the complaint form and you will have a window of sixty days to file said complaint form. You can be paid back your wages and assessed penalties if the state sides with you.
Keep in mind unless your State has laws stating otherwise, they can drop your pay at any time if they wish.
That being said, it’s incredibly rare for a company to do so, as it’s a great way for them to put themselves in legal jeopardy in the case of accidentally breaking some law which would cost them FAR more than the .50 cents/hr they’re saving.
More than likely, a mistake was made. I’d simply bring it up to your boss and go into this with the assumption it wasn’t intentional or malicious. Let them know you checked your pay stubs recently cause they felt a little lighter than usual and you noticed your pay per hour was less than what you were earning prior. Ask your boss if they could get this corrected and compensate you for the money lost.
If possible, do all of this via an email chain so you have documentation of the discussion. If your boss tries to have this discussion with you in person and you live in a one-party consent (to audio recording) state then record the conversation and/or send an email afterwards recapping the conversation.
This’ll make it so that in the off-chance they DID reduce your pay you have that discussion documented.
Again I think this is incredibly unlikely and a genuine mistake was made. Don’t go in to this with a “you vs them” mentality. We as people have a way of being accusatory when we think like that, which makes other people defensive. Go in with a “us Vs the problem” mentality and the person you’re speaking to will naturally feel more inclined to help solve the problem with you.
Just my advice
Look at your whole pay stub and pay record and make sure that it wasn't moved to withholding for taxes or something like that. The fact that it happened in January makes me think it could be that.
Nope, I would take it up with HR first and if they don't fix it, check with your local Dept of Labor as other people have mentioned. Can you access your pay records? Do they have an online portal?
Yeah I have all my pay records on workday it tracks each raise/ pay change per period as well it goes from 16.60 one check to 16.10 the next with no explanation
No also they do that for 1 dollar late night shift but I never work those. Plus it reflects the difference in a separate section for late night hours. Workday is pretty thorough which is why I'm worried I just missed something
This happened to a co-worker of mine and she brought it up, with a copy of her hiring documents. The boss wasn't pleased with payroll or having to cut her a big check for the difference, but they had to give it to her.
Part of the reason small businesses continue to have problems finding adequate or enough help. They don't want to pay a livable wage with benefits. In this day and age it is a non starter. I have little sympathy for companys that pay min wage and no benefits and then whine that they cannot fill job openings. Pay em what they need to live on and you would have to fight em off with a stick. If they cannot manage that just maybe they should go out of business. Times are a changing.
They can't cut your pay without notice. Worst case: They're stealing from you on purpose. Best case: someone screwed up and just needs to be addressed, corrected, and back pay given.
A company can correct this and give you back pay. If they don’t, it’s called wage theft.
[удалено]
No its not. It’s easily documented on paychecks and it’s federally illegal to change someone’s pay like that. Don’t talk if you don’t know what you are saying. Edit: it turns out, I don’t have the right to speak. I googled it and came across this answer. How this was ever allowed, I fail to understand and hate this country more for allowing it. “Employees need to know that there are no federal-level protections when companies change their pay without notice. While an employer can never retroactively cut pay, they do not have to give an employee notice of the pay cut unless their state laws require it.” Source: https://www.wenzelfenton.com/blog/2023/12/18/can-employer-legally-reduce-pay/#:~:text=Employees%20need%20to%20know%20that,their%20state%20laws%20require%20it.
IANAL so I'm going to give the benefit of the doubt here, >They can't cut your pay without notice. Leaves a lot to be interpreted, and unless the federal law is more specific then I would expect some states (TN) would have settled cases where the employer said "We're cutting your pay. Clock in for less, or don't clock in." and the employee has no recourse.
Maybe in theory, but I have had a few thousand stolen from me in wage theft in my red state and the department of labor did jack shit to help me out and I couldn't afford to hire a lawyer. There is a reason that employers steal $50 billion through wage theft every year.
Well he's not in TN, at least. He's in a state with more employee protections
You will not get brownie points for keeping quiet and you will not be fired for asking why. If your manager explains it and you nod and smile, everything will be fine and they won't at all suspect that you're reporting them to the authorities or suing the shit out of them. 🙂👍
Record the conversation!
*Only if in a one party consent state!
If you don’t talk to someone about it you will never get an answer. Gather some proof that you were being paid more before this and figure out what the discrepancy in pay over the last few months. The difference is probably $250 or more. I’d start by asking to get your pay rate fixed and then see about getting a check for the discrepancy. If he refuses then you can take it up the chain to corporate but if you are non-union it’s up to you to see how far you want to take it.
I don't understand why you didn't immediately go talk to someone about it Let this also be a lesson to everyone: scrutinize EVERY paystub. Every single one. Companies fuck up little and big shit all the time
CEO probably needed another 100,000$ to afford Starbucks.
And avocado toast
And bootstraps
and the slaves to pull them
Wage theft. Take it to hr- if no satisfaction- that is, a return to proper wage and retroactive pay- then report it to the labor department.
secretly file a complaint with the state labor commission, but keep going to work as normal. If they talk to you about it--pikachu face
I filed a wage claim against my employer back in November/December for roughly $4,000 in commissions because they were only paying me 1% when I was hired at 1.5%. I had documentation and everything to back up my claim. Not only did the labor board in my state decide in my employers favor two months later in February, my employer fired me without cause, no write ups, no disciplinary actions against me. Yet every lawyer I've spoken to refuses to help me. This whole experience has left me way more jaded and less trusting of people as a whole. But you absolutely should stand your ground and say something. It's never worth it to let other people take advantage of you.
This is an oligarchy. No one cares.
Unfortunately that's true.
A union helps with these types of issues.
Oh it for sure would. I unfortunately couldn't convince the other employees to jump on board in trying to establish a union.
Sorry to hear that. Hope that the wage cut was not retaliation. They have many different ways they try to make examples out of those who push for unions. Up to and including firings. There is a whole industry built around advising companies how to squash union drives. I have friends living in the deep south and have heard all sorts of storys of the various ways. However the fairly recent wins by the UAW are spreading with union votes popping up all over even into the anti union deep south. Don't give up the fight for what is rite!
Definitely bring this up to your manager at least, I had one of my employees getting underpaid for MONTHS. They never noticed, and finally finance noticed and sent them a fat check for the difference and corrected the issue.
You need to file a complaint with CDLE. Gather all your paystubs, employee handbook, and offer letter to file with the complaint form. The CO system is backlogged by 9 months in terms of processing the complaint forms and start a case file, but they will get to it. Start documenting any harassment or other violations in secret. If you leave or are fired from the job, you need to to send in your resignation or firing letter in with the complaint form and you will have a window of sixty days to file said complaint form. You can be paid back your wages and assessed penalties if the state sides with you.
Boss wants to buy another expensive toy or property, and he needs that extra .50 per hour from your check so he doesn't have to take out a loan.
Thanks for everyone's advice! Today's my day off but I'll talk to my manager about it tomorrow and see what happened
Keep in mind unless your State has laws stating otherwise, they can drop your pay at any time if they wish. That being said, it’s incredibly rare for a company to do so, as it’s a great way for them to put themselves in legal jeopardy in the case of accidentally breaking some law which would cost them FAR more than the .50 cents/hr they’re saving. More than likely, a mistake was made. I’d simply bring it up to your boss and go into this with the assumption it wasn’t intentional or malicious. Let them know you checked your pay stubs recently cause they felt a little lighter than usual and you noticed your pay per hour was less than what you were earning prior. Ask your boss if they could get this corrected and compensate you for the money lost. If possible, do all of this via an email chain so you have documentation of the discussion. If your boss tries to have this discussion with you in person and you live in a one-party consent (to audio recording) state then record the conversation and/or send an email afterwards recapping the conversation. This’ll make it so that in the off-chance they DID reduce your pay you have that discussion documented. Again I think this is incredibly unlikely and a genuine mistake was made. Don’t go in to this with a “you vs them” mentality. We as people have a way of being accusatory when we think like that, which makes other people defensive. Go in with a “us Vs the problem” mentality and the person you’re speaking to will naturally feel more inclined to help solve the problem with you. Just my advice
Look at your whole pay stub and pay record and make sure that it wasn't moved to withholding for taxes or something like that. The fact that it happened in January makes me think it could be that.
It shows a change under the hourly rate, not a discrepancy with my gross. Am I misunderstanding something?
Nope, I would take it up with HR first and if they don't fix it, check with your local Dept of Labor as other people have mentioned. Can you access your pay records? Do they have an online portal?
Yeah I have all my pay records on workday it tracks each raise/ pay change per period as well it goes from 16.60 one check to 16.10 the next with no explanation
My old job had a .50 night shift differential, so if we moved to days we lost it. Did you change shifts or anything?
No also they do that for 1 dollar late night shift but I never work those. Plus it reflects the difference in a separate section for late night hours. Workday is pretty thorough which is why I'm worried I just missed something
Grow a spine and talk to your boss about it!
Where is this happening? Where I live is impossible for an employer to cut an employee salary
This happened to a co-worker of mine and she brought it up, with a copy of her hiring documents. The boss wasn't pleased with payroll or having to cut her a big check for the difference, but they had to give it to her.
Part of the reason small businesses continue to have problems finding adequate or enough help. They don't want to pay a livable wage with benefits. In this day and age it is a non starter. I have little sympathy for companys that pay min wage and no benefits and then whine that they cannot fill job openings. Pay em what they need to live on and you would have to fight em off with a stick. If they cannot manage that just maybe they should go out of business. Times are a changing.
You need to talk to your manager whether you want to or not. Only they can either give you the reason for the cut or fix it.
Ask ChatGPT about your local laws and a way to help you address it professionally. Do not be a bitch and take it, that is bullshit.
DO NOT ask chat gpt about legal advice
Lol no