Labor Law Situation

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Lice

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So I'm throwing this out there to CAGs to see if anyone has had any similar experience or maybe is aware of the laws concerning work ethics etc.

By buddy took a job that required him to uproot his family and move to middle America. The nature of the industry he is in, this is the only company in the state and surrounding states. So basically its this job or relocate again.

Here is a rundown
-Low Salary.
-Mandatory overtime with no overtime pay.
-Required to work weekends.
-Must come in on public holidays.

They are met with " If you dont come in we are actively looking for people to replace you"

Can a company just demand these things? I was under the impression that there were labor laws for this reason.

What can an employee do about it? I would imagine some sort of court deal but what could he possibly get? Money due from overtime? Is it worth the hassle or just deal with the shitty situation and just keep applying for other jobs?

Thanks Guys.
 
Not sure about all these things, but if you are salaried, there is often no such thing as overtime. Almost everyone I know is sometimes forced to work more than 40 hours a week if there is something that needs to get done.
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Not sure about all these things, but if you are salaried, there is often no such thing as overtime. Almost everyone I know is sometimes forced to work more than 40 hours a week if there is something that needs to get done.[/QUOTE]

This.

If he is a salaried employee then he is SOL.

If he is not a salaried employee he can still have mandatory overtime, holidays, weekends, etc but would have to be paid accordingly.
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']This.

If he is a salaried employee then he is SOL.

If he is not a salaried employee he can still have mandatory overtime, holidays, weekends, etc but would have to be paid accordingly.[/QUOTE]

This.

At least they have a job; alot of Americans are still looking for work. If you are under 18, there are additional laws but that doesn't seem to be the case.
 
[quote name='Lice']So I'm throwing this out there to CAGs to see if anyone has had any similar experience or maybe is aware of the laws concerning work ethics etc.

By buddy took a job that required him to uproot his family and move to middle America. The nature of the industry he is in, this is the only company in the state and surrounding states. So basically its this job or relocate again.

Here is a rundown
-Low Salary.
-Mandatory overtime with no overtime pay.
-Required to work weekends.
-Must come in on public holidays.

They are met with " If you dont come in we are actively looking for people to replace you"

Can a company just demand these things? I was under the impression that there were labor laws for this reason.

What can an employee do about it? I would imagine some sort of court deal but what could he possibly get? Money due from overtime? Is it worth the hassle or just deal with the shitty situation and just keep applying for other jobs?

Thanks Guys.[/QUOTE]

Outside of the low salary you've just described the life of a young attorney at a big law firm.

It depends on where you live since different states have different labor laws and protection. So the company may very well not be violating any laws as far as I know. Especially if the salary is well above minimum wage. Welcome to life after unions, but that's a topic for another day.
 
It depends on the type of work he does and the state he is working in. Some salary jobs do get paid overtime or comp time. Telling someone they have to work weekends and holidays is a part of life. If he doesn't like it he needs to find a new job. Work is work he moved a great distance for it so I can't imagine it is that bad.
 
[quote name='Lice']
Here is a rundown
-Low Salary.
-Mandatory overtime with no overtime pay.
-Required to work weekends.
-Must come in on public holidays.

[/QUOTE]

Are you a doctor by any chance?
 
[quote name='dopa345']Are you a doctor by any chance?[/QUOTE]

A) Doctors make really good money.
B) Doctors make up their own hours for the most part. Most don't work past 30 hours/week.
C) ER/Trauma Docs are the only ones that normally work weekends, everyone else is only on-call in case of emergency.
 
[quote name='lordopus99']A) Doctors make really good money.
B) Doctors make up their own hours for the most part. Most don't work past 30 hours/week.
C) ER/Trauma Docs are the only ones that normally work weekends, everyone else is only on-call in case of emergency.[/QUOTE]

Not according to Grey's Anatomy.
 
Like others have said it all depends on his state and if he is salaried or not. In IL from what I understand they have to give you 8 hours from the time you get off to the time you start your next shift and 24 hours notice of mandated over time. After that they can really do what they want. Hell I don't even know if the time and a half is law or not.

I do know of some that are salary and they get so much time off or every hour worked over 40 however none of them work where I work. Where I work they have to do atleast 50 hours a week from what I understand.
 
If he's really concerned, he can make an anonymous call to his state's L&I office... but honestly, nothing there really sounds like anything they can't do. Didn't he check on this stuff before moving?
 
-1 for Salary.

I don't ever want to work Salary. I've said it in other threads; you're basically working free overtime. If things are slow and you work less hours, that would be one thing, but that's never the case.

You'd have to pay me $250K/year or more to get me to work more than 40 hours a week. Or I'd have to own my own business.

Work to live, don't live to work.

If your company has its people routinely working more than 40 hours a week, your team is either understaffed, inefficient, you're an owner of a business, or your working for a law firm.

But because of the economy, many people have to do the work of others who have left or laid off, so 50+ hour weeks are more normal.
 
Thanks for all the comments folks... I guess we live to work.

To the ones who asked if he knew about this before heading out: No.

They kind of leave that out of the sales pitch.
"Yeah just move your family to a shit hole state... chill out in the office on a friday until 4 am... Team meetings are on tuesday... I will pay you a year about what my car costs... what do you say champ?"

Yeah he knows hes stuck... I just want to help a bud out see if there maybe is some loop hole. Hate hearing this stuff. Welcome to the real world eh.
 
I once had a professor tell me that there's always someone looking to do what you do for less pay.

I'm in a salaried position, and I work more than 40 hours most weeks. It's not a matter of the employer taking advantage of me (although it happens like at any workplace), it's a matter of I can see how many applicants we get for similar positions. It's a ton. You've gotta work hard to stay on top and move up.

On the flip side, I get good benefits, especially for a private sector job. Comp Days for some overtime, good health & dental, tuition remission, and a great retirement plan.

But, I think it's really a matter of expectations. I worked here as a part-time employee before. I knew what I was getting myself into. My expectations of the workload are equivalent to what I expected. I would encourage your friend to be thorough in the interviews. It may be a case of them misleading him, but I've also interviewed a lot of folks who don't bother to ask the questions about workload or hours.
 
[quote name='lordwow']I once had a professor tell me that there's always someone looking to do what you do for less pay.

I'm in a salaried position, and I work more than 40 hours most weeks. It's not a matter of the employer taking advantage of me (although it happens like at any workplace), it's a matter of I can see how many applicants we get for similar positions. It's a ton. You've gotta work hard to stay on top and move up.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. My boss always makes sure to mention the stack of resumes he gets every week which is a not-so-subtle reminder that I'm completely expendable and there are tons of people who wish they had my job.
 
[quote name='Lice']To the ones who asked if he knew about this before heading out: No.

They kind of leave that out of the sales pitch.
"Yeah just move your family to a shit hole state... chill out in the office on a friday until 4 am... Team meetings are on tuesday... I will pay you a year about what my car costs... what do you say champ?"[/QUOTE]

People need to remember job interviews are not a one way street; if you're not asking your potential employer these kind of questions you're doing yourself a disservice. The same goes for buying a car or an apartment/house; these people aren't going to divulge more than they need to if you don't ask. I hope he finds something better soon.
 
The answers to your questions very much depend on the local state law. Also, anyone who is qualified to give you the advice you actually are looking for absolutely should not and likely would not do so on this forum. I would disregard most the coments here and tell your friend to actually talk to an attorney if he is truly concerned. Depending on where he lives there may be some low cost options, like a law school clinic.
 
[quote name='javeryh']Exactly. My boss always makes sure to mention the stack of resumes he gets every week which is a not-so-subtle reminder that I'm completely expendable and there are tons of people who wish they had my job.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to the race to the bottom. Hooray for the US have jack squat in the way of employee protection. Look up what other countries mandate for vacation time, medical leave, etc., oh and don't forget they have real health care, and then wonder what is so great about this place.
 
[quote name='ElwoodCuse']Welcome to the race to the bottom. Hooray for the US have jack squat in the way of employee protection. Look up what other countries mandate for vacation time, medical leave, etc., oh and don't forget they have real health care, and then wonder what is so great about this place.[/QUOTE]

I know - it sucks but I'm kind of stuck because I can't take a job that pays less and I know there aren't many other jobs out there that pay as much. I get no vacation (literally - our policy is no vacation days), I pay $900 a month for benefits and I'm in the office about 10-12 hours every day and often more. I keep waiting for the job market to pick up so I can find something else but it's been about 3 years now and there are few signs of it getting any better. That said, I make a very good salary so it's hard to complain when I know there are tons of people who would take my job in a second.
 
[quote name='ElwoodCuse']Welcome to the race to the bottom. Hooray for the US have jack squat in the way of employee protection. Look up what other countries mandate for vacation time, medical leave, etc., oh and don't forget they have real health care, and then wonder what is so great about this place.[/QUOTE]

Unions are a form of employee protection and look how that concept works. It keeps bad employees in positions as well giving bad employees the same raises/pay scale as good employees. They force all that you mention. Most employments that have unions are public jobs that get around 9-10 holidays and they all get the same amount of vacation time. All it promotes is to not strive for greatness. It is counterproductive.

As for healthcare elsewhere... I use to work on a project dealing with United Kingdom's Medical. Most patients end up waiting WEEKS to get in. If you have the flu or something like that, don't even bother. Anyone that has money ends up going into France for their healthcare.
 
Well hes flying out to interview for a new company this moment. Woohoo!

Question for you guys now pertaining to a situation im in.

I work at a company and we have alot of clients we do work for. One is company A.

Company A is amazing and is what I went to school for. They have a job opening that fits what i do and want to do.

Is it a death sentence to apply for it? Most likely they will give a heads up to my current employer? Will they look at it as bad business etiquette and think im not a trustworthy employee.... Any thoughts on this? Thanks guys.
 
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