The Equal Pay Act doesn’t allow your employer to pay you less than a coworker doing a similar job. Congress passed the EPA in 1963, mostly to ensure that women earn the same pay rates as men doing similar work. However, the law protects both genders.
Can you refuse a pay cut?
A pay cut cannot be enacted without the employee being notified. If an employer cuts an employee’s pay without telling him, it is considered a breach of contract. Pay cuts are legal as long as they are not done discriminatorily (i.e., based on the employee’s race, gender, religion, and/or age).
Is being underpaid illegal?
Make no mistake, underpayment or nonpayment of wages you have earned is a violation of the law, and you have the right to seek proper compensation. However, unscrupulous employers can be very sneaky and creative in the ways they take advantage of their employees.
What to do if you were underpaid?
If you do think you’re being underpaid, talk to an employment law attorney in San Jose, CA right away.
- Look for common pay stub errors.
- Report the mistake to human resources.
- Maintain your own work records.
- Talk to a labor attorney.
- Talk to your co-workers.
Is it illegal for an employer to cut your pay?
If everyone over 40 years of age receive a pay cut, but no one younger, that’s illegal. When the pay cut drops your salary below the minimum wage. The Federal minimum wage is set at a particular dollar amount, but a lot of states and cities have higher minimums.
Is it legal for an employer to lower your salary?
The employer must pay you the agreed-upon salary for work you’ve already done. Bosses can absolutely lower salaries just like they can raise salaries. But, what they can’t do is lower your salary without telling you in advance and you (the employee) must agree to it.
Is it legal to pay less in taxes?
On the topic of tax avoidance, the U.S. Supreme Court has even declared it is “The legal right of an individual to decrease the amount of what would otherwise be his taxes or altogether avoid them, by means which the law permits, cannot be doubted.” This is to say you aren’t required to pay more in taxes than the law prescribes.
Can a boss cut your pay without telling you?
Bosses can absolutely lower salaries just like they can raise salaries. But, what they can’t do is lower your salary without telling you in advance and you (the employee) must agree to it. Does this mean that if your boss says, “I’m cutting your pay” that you can say, “No thanks, I’ll continue at the higher rate of pay”?
