Payment of wages to auto mechanics

[TLC69]

What is the name of your state?Texas. This is a little complicated but I'll try to be brief. I am an auto technician. The way we get paid is for work done on a work order. This is kind of like commission but we don't sell and our work amount is controlled by management. i have looked and looked but have not found any laws that protect us. Here are some of the problems. 1) we are required to be at work from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mon.- Sat. but we are not guaranteed work during those hours. Being at work 50 hrs. and having a 25 hr. paycheck is common. 2) Now, management is requiring we do work for free. Estimate, diagnose, and in some cases actually repair cars for free. In fact I was written up and sent home for refusing to work for free. They say we get paid bonus money for this labor but we are not allowed to know what the amount is and it si completely up to management whether it is paid at all. Is this legal? Where can i find the rules they have to go by?

 

[BelizeBreeze]

Contact the Texas department of labor and keep track of every minute you are at work during your required time.

THEN, start looking for another job.

 

[Beth3]

I agree. Contact TX's DOL.

You're basically being paid by the job and it's possible that what you're employer is doing is legal. They may be able to argue that your pay averages out to minimum wage or more for all the hours you're at work. (OT pay has to be factored in as well.) There are some fine points in wage and hour reg's for certain professions I haven't had to deal with thus far and yours may be one of them. But a call to the DOL is definitely in order to discuss this with them and see if your employer's pay practices are lawful.