Feel like I am being punished!

[Tish]

I have worked for a Super Wal-mart for nearly 2 years. I started at the bottom and feel as though I worked my way up to the top. I have been working for my department longer then everyone including the manager and assistant manager. I started at working 1pm to 10pm for a year then finally got the hours I had been wanting 9am to 6pm. Right at Christmas I became very ill and missed a week of work. I went to the doctor the first day I was ill and got a doctors release on the day before coming back to work my boss calls me to inform me that I now have to take the 5am to 2pm shift or 12pm to 9pm. Due to the company cutting back on hours. This doesn't make sense to me seeing how no one else that I know of had to switch shifts and what does that change hour wise they are both 8 hour shifts? Plus they have hired about 4 more employees for my department, but they said they had to cut back. I also don't understand why there are 2 other employees in my departmant with no prevoius experience who are making .49 cents an hour to $1.34 an hour more then me when I have more senority. And why it is that I can only recieve a 3, 4, or 5 % raise and one women got a dollar an hour raise in less then 3 monthes. I think they are punishing me for some reason. I am wondering if I can sue them for taking my hours away while I was sick. Please help anyone.

 

[Attorney_Replogle]

I am assuming that OK's laws are similar to CA's are. That is the state that I am licensed to practice law in. In my opinion, you did not suffer any unlawful employment discrimination. The employer has a right to assign hours and give raises as they see fit. The exceptions to this general rule are if an employee has a written contract guaranteeing hours and or pay raise amounts. Or, if the employee is a union employee. For a second opinion or to consult with a labor law attorney near you, go to attorneypages.com.

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Mark B. Replogle