Employer wants wages back

[joeholliem]

What is the name of your state? Alaska

I was hired at a specific wage for a union job. Thought the wage was too high, but it was a government job and thought that was the reason for the increase in pay. After 4 months on the job, my employer tells me that they made a mistake in my pay. They have lowered my wages and are now talking about taking back the money they have over paid me retroactive to my first day of work. Is this legal?

[cbg]

Yes. However, specifically how they can retrieve the money you were paid in error is subject to state law and probably your CBA as well.

[Beth3]

"I was hired at a specific wage for a union job. Thought the wage was too high, but it was a government job and thought that was the reason for the increase in pay."

Huh? You were hired at a specific rate of pay. You were paid more than that and elected not to say anything about it. Are you suggesting that if the wages on your check were less than what you'd been told you would have just shrugged your shoulders and not said a word? I rather doubt it.

Sorry but I have absolutely no sympathy for this kind of predicament. You knew they had your pay rate wrong and you never said anything in the hopes that they wouldn't catch it and you'd never have to pay it back. You're lucky they don't want to fire you for dishonesty.

Yes, you have to repay them.

[joeholliem]

The "specific" wage was the wage set by the company. They sent me my first paycheck and I thought the wage that they were paying me was high, BUT they set my pay and they are the ones that write my paychecks. I received the wage that they decided on...it wasn't like they told me one wage and paid me another. Because I am a union apprentice I never really know what my payscale will be!

[Beth3]

As you discovered, if you think there may be an error on your paycheck (whether in your favor or the employer's), it's an excellent idea to make inquiries. If there is an error, then it can be straightened out right away and a mess like this can be avoided.

[JETX]

"I was hired at a specific wage for a union job. Thought the wage was too high,"
*** Okay, lets stop playing symantics and get to the facts.

1) Were you told what your wage would be when you hired in??
2) How much was it?
3) When you got your first paycheck (and presumably others), was your rate of pay the same as what you were told when hired??
4) If not, how much was it??
5) Finally, if the pay you were receiving was higher then what you were told on being hired, when was the FIRST date that you notified them of the error??

[joeholliem]

I was given a dispatch notice from the union telling me where my job was and when I would start. I was never told what my wage would be. As an apprentice in the union, I have to go where they tell me to work or I will be kicked out. At the only other job that I have had with the union, I was supposed to make a certain percentage of "full-scale" wages. The job I currently have is a government job contracted through the union. The pay scale is different than my last job, so my pay was higher. I didn't know how much higher or what to expect. Isn't me employer responsible for setting my wage and paying me? This isn't your typical job...I'm not told what the wage will be and asked if I accept or not. I was told to go to this job and didn't know what my wage would be until I received my first paycheck. I had no reason to believe that my pay was wrong, only that I was getting a larger pay due to the fact that it was a government job and the payscale was higher.