Can an employer make a hourly employee work 40 hours plus schedule 10 hours of overtime each week?

Get Legal Help Today

Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption

Can an employer make a hourly employee work 40 hours plus schedule 10 hours of overtime each week?

I work for a retail chain as LP and security manager. This position used to be salaried but was changed to an hourly position. The schedule is a 10 hours a day, with 1a mandatory 1 hour of unpaid lunch, making for 11 hour days. They routinely have employees work 13-14 days without a day off. Included in this schedule is a mandatory overnight shift per month.

Asked on September 15, 2018 under Employment Labor Law, South Carolina

Answers:

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 6 years ago | Contributor

Unless such scheduling violates the terms of an employment contract or union agreement, it is legal. The fact is that with the exception of certain professions/occupations (i.e. some medical personnel, pilots, truck drivers, etc.), there is no limit as to the amount of hours/days in a row that an employee can be scheduled to work for. The fact is that a company can set the conditons of employment much as it sees fit (absent some form of legally actionable dscrimination). If this is unacceptable to you, you can complain but risk ternination or you can quit.

M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 6 years ago | Contributor

Unless such scheduling violates the terms of an employment contract or union agreement, it is legal. The fact is that with the exception of certain professions/occupations (i.e. some medical personnel, pilots, truck drivers, etc.), there is no limit as to the amount of hours/days in a row that an employee can be scheduled to work for. The fact is that a company can set the conditons of employment much as it sees fit (absent some form of legally actionable dscrimination). If this is unacceptable to you, you can complain but risk ternination or you can quit.


IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.

Get Legal Help Today

Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.

secured lock Secured with SHA-256 Encryption