MTSO and the minimum wage - Snow Bunny

Posted: Jun 25, 2012

I decided to drive to the Labor Department and ask them directly about this issue, with respect to the fact that MTs who work as employees are paid "per line." The guy said, "It doesn't matter what type of work you do, by federal law you must be paid mininum wage." --- Even if the agreement is for "per line," it must equal mininum wage. So folks ... start keeping very strict records of when you're working and ONLY when you're working. That means, if you get up to go to the bathroom or make a phone call, you're not working so you have to "sign out" (That only applies to "salaried employees," those who make a yearly salary). Do this every day that you work your schedule for an entire payroll. Don't worry about how many lines you did ... just focus on the hours you actually worked (proofing, typing, researching, etc). You do this for the full length of the payroll. It's when you get paid, that you do the math. Let's say from June 15 through June 30 you worked 80 hours, and this time frame will be reflected in your July 15 paycheck. When you are paid on July 15 you divide the total number of hours you worked from June 15 through June 30 into the total gross earnings of your July 15 paycheck. If you earned at least minimum wage ($7.25/hour), then all's well. However, if you didn't you can file a complaint through this link: http://www.dol.gov/whd/ And one more item ... overtime after 40 hours in a week equals 1-1/2 tmes an employee's regular rate of pay. That's also federal law.