Can Your Employer Reduce Pay or Hours without Notice?

You count on your work schedule and your related pay to support yourself and your family, and any decrease in your hours or wages can cause severe financial hardship in addition to considerable anxiety. The reality is that, as an employee in Pennsylvania, you work at will, which means you can quit or be fired for any reason or no reason. There are, however, exceptions to this rule as well as legal protections concerning retaliation, discrimination, and illegal practices. Discuss your concerns with an experienced York, Pennsylvania, employment law attorney at Mette Law today.

When an Employer Can Cut Your Hours or Wages

To begin, it’s important to note that all non-exempt employees must earn at least the federal minimum hourly wage, and they must receive at least time-and-a-half pay for any overtime they put in. Beyond this, however, employers generally do have the right to change the terms of employment, which includes cutting pay or hours.

Reasonable Warning

While employers do have considerable discretion when it comes to your pay and the hours you work, they must give you reasonable warning before making any changes. This means your pay can’t be decreased retroactively for hours you’ve already put in. Additionally, your employer must notify you of any changes, allowing you time to decide whether to continue working for them.

When There Is a Contractual Agreement in Place

If you signed an employment contract that addresses your hours and wages, it could potentially protect you from a decrease in hours worked or wages paid. If your contract includes a notice requirement regarding any future changes, it will dictate the amount of warning you are owed. Any violation of the employment contract terms on your employer’s part could bolster your breach of contract claim.

Employers Can’t Reduce Pay for Illegal Purposes

Your employer can’t engage in adverse employment actions for any reason that is against the law, including as a means of discrimination or retaliation for engaging in protected activities.

Examples of adverse actions include:

• A reduction in wages
• Demotion
• A reduction in hours
• Discharge, which means being fired

Discrimination

Discrimination refers to taking an adverse employment action, such as decreasing an employee’s hours or earnings, based on a protected characteristic. Prime examples include age, sex, gender, sexuality, pregnancy, race, nationality, skin color, religion, and beyond.

Retaliation

Retaliation means taking an adverse employment action, such as cutting wages or hours, in response to an employee’s protected activity, which includes all the following:

• Reporting discrimination on the job
• Filing a workers’ compensation claim
• Reporting illegal or unethical conduct
• Requesting reasonable accommodations
• Filing for unemployment benefits

Make the Call to an Experienced Employment Lawyer Today

If you believe your hours or your wages may have been reduced illegally, you’re not alone out there. The diligent litigating attorneys at Mette Law have reserves of experience successfully guiding challenging claims. Together, we work toward beneficial resolutions that faithfully uphold your rights. For more information, contact us online or call us at 717-232-5000 today.