After hours meetings

[usound76]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? KY, employer located in OH

I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, so I apologize if it isn't.

Can my employer require that we attend web-based meetings after business hours, in the evenings. We are not paid for attending these "meetings". If we do not attend, it will negatively affect our performance evaluations. I'm just wondering if they have legal standing to enact mandatory, non-paid meetings that take place during time with our families?

Thank you in advance

 

[eerelations]

Your employer can legally require you to attend these meetings. If you are non-exempt, your employer must pay you for the time spent at any on- or off-site meetings that are mandatory. If you are exempt, your employer can require you to attend these meetings but is not obliged to pay you. Whether you're exempt or non-exempt, your employer can legally fire you for not attending these meetings.

 

[usound76]

We are hourly employees, so they are supposed to compensate us , correct? We are only allowed to miss a meeting if our supervisor approves of the reason. We are NOT paid for these meetings. Their reasoning is that since we are at home, and not the office, we do not get compensated.

 

[Beth3]

Your employer's reasoning is faulty (and then some.) This is work time whether you're in the office or parked in front of your computer at home.

You can suggest to your employer that they revisit State and federal wage and hour laws which require this time to be compensated and give them a chance to rectify the situation or you can proceed directly to your State's Department of Labor and file a complaint for your unpaid work time. Be prepared to give them specifics of the dates and times you were required to attend these sessions so they know how much wages you are owed.

 

[cbg]

HOWEVER, let me give you a warning, even though it's not your question.

We've had people here in the past who refused to attend these meetings on the basis that they were unpaid, who were fired for the refusal, and who then wanted to claim wrongful termination. They were, however, mistaken.

Should that happen, it would be a LEGAL termination. You can LEGALLY be fired for refusing to attend the meetings, EVEN IF you think you're not going to be paid; EVEN IF the employer has said flat out that you will not be paid. He hasn't violated any law until after the meeting has taken place and you have not been paid for it. You can file a wage claim if you're not paid for time that is compensable, but you can't (successfully) file a wrongful term claim if you are fired because you think something is going to happen. No matter how good the evidence that it will happen.

So keep in mind - attend meeting and don't get paid - legal recourse

Refuse to attend meeting and get fired - no legal recourse.

 

[ArmyRetCW3]

§ 785.27 General.
Attendance at lectures, meetings, training programs and similar activities need not be counted as working time if the following four criteria are met:

(a) Attendance is outside of the employee's regular working hours;
(b) Attendance is in fact voluntary;
(c) The course, lecture, or meeting is not directly related to the employee's job; and
(d) The employee does not perform any productive work during such attendance.


§ 785.28 Involuntary attendance.
Attendance is not voluntary, of course, if it is required by the employer. It is not voluntary in fact if the employee is given to understand or led to believe that his present working conditions or the continuance of his employment would be adversely affected by nonattendance.