Poll of the Day > Have you ever been a victim of wage theft

(+) Yeah! (+)

Have you? Employers have a variety of ways to commit wage theft unbeknownst to employees. They can commit wage theft via off the clock work, job title misclassification, unreimbursed purchase requirements, and violations of the minimum wage, overtime, rest break and tipping rules.
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Fortunately no
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I was coerced into working off the clock a few times for blockbuster when I was younger

Had I known better I would have refused but I couldnt afford to lose the job at the time

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Not that I know of.
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Not to any significant degree, and usually quite voluntarily if it does happen (i.e. choosing to skip a break to get something done, or helping out with something for a couple minutes after clocking out). I can't say I've ever felt pressured into that, thankfully.
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Back when I worked retail at one of my earlier jobs, I later learned that I was being clocked over for a 30-minute break I hadn't been taking because my manager had told me I was only entitled to a paid 15 or an unpaid 30 when working a 6-hour+ shift (which included 8 and 9 hour shifts). iirc, either the next manager or the one after that told us that we should have been getting both on a 30 (and then I later learned that the 8 hour+ shifts I had been working should have been two paid 15s and an unpaid 30; I never once got that second paid 15). All in all, I was probably cheated at least $500-600 for them clocking me out for lunch when I was actually working. While I did a lot of 8+ shifts (which on the weekends often became 14-hour shifts because other kids would always call out)

Plus I had occasionally been guilted into working off the clock (sometimes under promise that those hours would be credited to me during a later week) around inventory time or major set-ups because the manager would be there all by themselves trying to get things set up. Of course, they were getting a manger's salary.

Then I've had people underpay or not pay me at all for freelance work.
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When I was a waiter, the manager made us come in 15 mins before our shift to work and wouldn't let us clock in until our shift time. I got yelled at one time because I was "only 5 mins early'.

Someone started a class action lawsuit and I ended up getting like 2k from it a few years after I quit.
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Yes.
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If anything I am a wage thief
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lihlih posted...

When I was a waiter, the manager made us come in 15 mins before our shift to work and wouldn't let us clock in until our shift time. I got yelled at one time because I was "only 5 mins early'.

tbh, a few companies screwed me over like that over the years. This one call center I worked at during college had a policy where if you showed up fewer than 15 minutes early to a shift (unpaid time, of course -- part of was to set up your equipment which, realistically, only took 5 minutes and then the rest was wasting your time) three times during a quarter, you'd be fired. Call centers in general are awful.

When I worked in sales, we'd also get chewed out for only showing up 5 minutes early for a shift (which could also result in a write-up) despite the fact we were paid on commission and we frequently didn't see any customers in the first hour of the store opening. Some managers were less of ball-busters than others, though. The store managers were always stupidly strict whereas the floor managers (who sometimes showed up late themselves) might not even say anything.
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sort of. we're "not allowed" to work overtime, so no one gets overtime pay, and everyone just ignores the fact that everyone works overtime all the time to be able to get things done.
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Easily. I worked for a multinational security company and got 2 checks from different wage theft class action lawsuits. I also got my own personal check after complaining about ongoing wage theft of me personally over an extended time and eventually they looked into the missing hours and paid me out accordingly.
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Yes but it's too much of a pain to explain. It got fixed with back pay tho
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The previous owner kept having his check bounce and I was getting fed up so I told my manager at the time that if it happened again not only would he be alone to do everything but I'd get the Labor Board involved. The following week we got new owners.

Not to my knowledge.
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If you are undercut because of the tips you receive, you are a victim of wage theft.
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One place I worked had someone count the hours on our punch cards. Only problem was she tried doing the math in her head and she was terrible at math. Everyone got cut a 2nd check every pay week. The biggest problem was she had a habit of disposing of those cards too early, shredding them before the pay week was over. So if you had overtime or some extra time on those cards, it was harder than hell to to prove it

They waited a year to fire her because "she was doing her best". My coworker almost got fired because she tested his card on the clock to make sure it worked...10 times in a day and a half.

CTLM posted...

One place I worked had someone count the hours on our punch cards. Only problem was she tried doing the math in her head and she was terrible at math. Everyone got cut a 2nd check every pay week. The biggest problem was she had a habit of disposing of those cards too early, shredding them before the pay week was over. So if you had overtime or some extra time on those cards, it was harder than hell to to prove it

They waited a year to fire her because "she was doing her best". My coworker almost got fired because she tested his card on the clock to make sure it worked...10 times in a day and a half.

Depending on the State most places have to keep those records for years! I cant imagine how much trouble shed be in if an audit came up.
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aDirtyShisno posted...

CTLM posted...

One place I worked had someone count the hours on our punch cards. Only problem was she tried doing the math in her head and she was terrible at math. Everyone got cut a 2nd check every pay week. The biggest problem was she had a habit of disposing of those cards too early, shredding them before the pay week was over. So if you had overtime or some extra time on those cards, it was harder than hell to to prove it

They waited a year to fire her because "she was doing her best". My coworker almost got fired because she tested his card on the clock to make sure it worked...10 times in a day and a half.

Depending on the State most places have to keep those records for years! I cant imagine how much trouble shed be in if an audit came up.

I'm sure they got in trouble. Next person they hired never shredded them for at least a few years. They still had files from employees who had left 5 years prior when I left after 8 years.

lihlih posted...

When I was a waiter, the manager made us come in 15 mins before our shift to work and wouldn't let us clock in until our shift time. I got yelled at one time because I was "only 5 mins early'.

Someone started a class action lawsuit and I ended up getting like 2k from it a few years after I quit.

This happens a lot and many American's especially hourly paid workers are not aware of it because it's done subtlely and most people do not keep track with their hours and what they're being paid for.
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No.
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Only time i really worked off the clock was voluntary because I forgot to clock out to go on break and I didnt wanna get a write up. So I worked how long of a break I took off the clock.

Only other time was this place where only the managers could clock you in or out and theyd always say they where busy and want you to go ahead and start. Id go fill my little bucket with soap water and get a rag. But that was it. Id just sit and stare at them after that point until I got my clock in sheet
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