There is not necessarily a set answer to this. Per diem pay / expense reimbursement can be tricky, and depends on the specific employment policy or agreement in place. They can also interact with overtime laws in complicated ways. I would suggest reaching out to a local employment attorney for... View More

It is very likely that this is a legal violation which would allow you to recover lost wages and penalties, but I would need a few more facts to know for sure. We've represented workers in similar cases with good results. Feel free to email or call for more information.

Strictly speaking, there's no minimum time limit before suing, but it almost never makes sense to just file suit without taking certain steps first to ensure you've positioned yourself in the best possible manner. Jumping straight to filing a legal action is rarely the best or most... View More

Generally, it is not legal for a company to require you to work without pay. There are some unique aspects to this rule given the government shutdown; however, even the government is required to pay people on time, and the shutdown does not excuse them from lawsuits for unpaid wages. I would need... View More

That depends. Some unpaid overtime lawsuits are filed as "collective actions," which means that other co-workers can ask the court to join the suit. Other lawsuits are filed just on behalf of one individual. I would need to know more about your co-worker's lawsuit to answer this question.

It is impossible to answer that question without more detailed information. Whether a manager is properly overtime exempts depends on several factors including: how much of his time he spends managing other employees, whether he has authority to hire or fire, the number of employees who he... View More

This depends on the specific terms of your contract. It is impossible to give legal advice on a contract without reading it first, so you should contact a local employment attorney to discuss.

Generally no. The only exception is the costs may be withheld from the last paycheck if the employee quits within the first 90 days of work, and there is a prior written agreement to that effect.

There is not enough information here to give a certain answer. In most cases, employers must pay employees for training time. There are a few narrow exceptions, but these are very fact specific. You should speak to a local employment lawyer to discuss your specific situation.

Thanks for the question. It's not clear what you mean by "reconstruction in court," but if you are referring to a bankruptcy restructuring, the answer is that companies undergoing bankruptcy may have the right to rescind or reject contracts that were entered into before the... View More

No. Unless you signed a severance agreement or other contract with the company, and they agreed to provide you with a reference, there is no requirement that a former employer provide verification of past employment.

As long as you are getting paid for the time, it is legal. If it becomes a regular occurrence you should probably have a serious talk with your boss, but there's no law saying that you can't be asked to do work outside your job description.

This is not legal. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) states that employees have the right to gather together to discuss the terms and conditions of employment - this includes discussing their wages and salaries. For more information, read my blog post here.... View More

In most cases, yes, unless the individual is a genuine supervisory employee who is paid at least $455 a week, guaranteed, and has a primary duty of supervising others rather than performing manual work. You should speak to a local employment attorney about your options.

If they sent to the wrong address, it is on them (unless you failed to update them of the correct address). If they mailed it to the correct address and it was just misdelivered, neither is responsible. Either way they should void that check and send you a new one.

You should report all this to the EEOC to ensure it is included in the charge. It would probably be a good idea to contact a local employment attorney for assistance in handling the EEOC process.

The company must pay you when you are actually on the phone, or dealing with whatever issue that you've been called about. They are not required to pay you for the time you are merely waiting to be called, *unless* there are significant restrictions placed on you during your on-call times --... View More

Those two comments, alone, do not make for a hostile work environment. To be a hostile work environment, comments must be so extreme as to be beyond all normal bounds of dignity; or be continuous and ongoing over a period of time. These comments were rude, but not extreme. However, if similar... View More

It is impossible to give an opinion on the enforceability of a contract without having read it. I believe it would be worth your time and money to contact a local attorney for assistance.

Contact a local attorney. You need legal assistance far beyond what can be provided in this simple Q&A format.