Is This Harassment

[DODOROBINSON]

What is the name of your state? KENTUCKY
the boss i work for is constantly screaming and yelling at me and the other co workers he has called us stupid and constantly putting us down, the lady in the office gets the worst of it, he really puts her down in front of everyone. when he gets mad he starts beating on the walls and the doors, this happens everyday. he recently cut our hours from 40 hours a week to 30 except for one person that has only been there for 3 years one of the ladys has been there for 15 years and she was cut also.. there is favortism. also he really lost it when we said we would file for unemployment for the remaining lost hours. can he stop us? and he said the ladys in the office cant take a 15 or 10 minute break in an 8 hour day because they sit all day, is this leagel? and is there anything we can do about the way he treats us wouldnt this be mental abuse?

 

[cbg]

Yes and no.

1.) It is probably harassment in the dictionary sense, but if he is like this with everyone it is not harassment in the legal sense. To be illegal harassment, it has to be BECAUSE OF one's gender, race, religion and so forth. It is not illegal to be an "equal opportunity jerk".

2.) Cutting hours is not illegal, again unless they were cut BECAUSE OF race, religion and so on.

3.) Unless you have a contract that says otherwise, there is no law that says he has to go by seniority. Favoritism is not illegal.

4.) He cannot stop you from filing for unemployment for the lost hours. He has the right to protest the UC. The state will make the final decision. Not all states permit UC for shortened hours.

5.) If the ladies in the office are non-exempt, then he MUST allow them a 30 minute meal break and a ten minute rest break for every four hours they work, Kentucky being one of the very few states that actually requires rest breaks. If they are exempt, then he does not have to allow them any breaks at all, regardless of how long they work. Their job duties will determine whether or not they qualify as exempt.