San Jose, CA asked in Employment Law for California

Q: Boss says they can remove an hour of wages worked from pay for not turning in report at a designated time, is that true?

I work for a private detective agency, and my pay is hourly. Today, my boss sent an e-mail claiming that if reports aren't turned in by 8pm PST, she will permanently remove an hour of pay from our paychecks, even if we worked that hour. I worked for the Department of Labor for a spell, and I seem to recall that was very much not true, but I'd like to be sure before I explain to her that she can't do that.

I understand that this doesn't mean she can't write me up or fire me for not meeting demand, obviously, but we are also not even paid for the time spent on those reports.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Brad S Kane
Brad S Kane
Answered
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Licensed in California

A: Your employer is not entitled to discipline you by taking away your earned compensation. For failure to meet a legal work requirement, your employer can write you up, terminate you and/or change your future pay rate or hours.

1 user found this answer helpful

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