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Should my wife hire a labor lawyer?

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thebaseball2001

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? NC

We live in NC. Here employer treats all of his employees this way. 1. Does not pay on time. If the employees have a problem with it he tells them to find another job. 2. Has never paid overtime. 3. Called my wife and her co-worker into the office short notice on Thanksgiving night telling them to be in the office 11am the next morning. When they arrived he was not there so they texted him. He arrived at the office and said 'don't text me, wait when you boss tells you to come in. If you don't like it find a new job'. 4. The above call in was due to a shoe order made in the office. The Dr. was not satisfied with my wife's explanation of the order and how it was placed and suspended her without pay from 11/21 through 12/2. 5. The Dr's nephew was arrested last year for stealing from a dorm at NC State. His nephew works in the office and money started disappearing from women's purses in the office. Nothing was done. Then money disappeared from the Dr's own office. He accused everyone and took money out of their paychecks to recoup his losses. 6. The Dr. was sued successfully by another employee in a different office for wrongful termination. 7. The money to pay for scrubs that they have to get every quarter is taken out of the employee paychecks. 8. Any time the employees don't like one of his unfair practices/illegal practices he says 'find a new job then' or something along those lines. 9. He has the office staff fudge the numbers when submitting things to insurance. Should she bother with a lawyer or just find another job?

Thanks,
Chad
 


eerelations

Senior Member
I'll just answer by the number so it's easier to follow.

1. Your wife should file a late pay claim with the state or federal DOL. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
2. Your wife should file an OT pay claim with the state or federal DOL. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
3. Nothing about this is illegal.
4. Nothing about this is illegal. There are no laws regarding unpaid suspensions. Unless your wife was suspended specifically and directly because of something like her race, gender, religion, age and/or disability, she has no legal recourse.
5. Your wife should file a claim with the state or federal DOL for unauthorized pay deductions. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
6. This has no legal bearing on your wife's situation.
7. I don't know if this is legal or not; a quick call to the state or federal DOL will address this issue.
8. Nothing about this is illegal.
9. The appropriate thing to do would be to either call the police or report the fraud directly to the insurance company. The longer your wife continues to participate in this activity, the more likely she will be penalized along with the doctor for committing fraud.
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
I'll just answer by the number so it's easier to follow.

1. Your wife should file a late pay claim with the state or federal DOL. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
2. Your wife should file an OT pay claim with the state or federal DOL. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
3. Nothing about this is illegal.
4. Nothing about this is illegal. There are no laws regarding unpaid suspensions. Unless your wife was suspended specifically and directly because of something like her race, gender, religion, age and/or disability, she has no legal recourse.
5. Your wife should file a claim with the state or federal DOL for unauthorized pay deductions. Labor lawyer not required, in fact would be overkill.
6. This has no legal bearing on your wife's situation.
7. I don't know if this is legal or not; a quick call to the state or federal DOL will address this issue.
8. Nothing about this is illegal.
9. The appropriate thing to do would be to either call the police or report the fraud directly to the insurance company. The longer your wife continues to participate in this activity, the more likely she will be penalized along with the doctor for committing fraud.
And I will also add...HECK YES she should do all the eerelations suggests, AND get another job as well. The DOL cannot stop him from being a jerk, therefore that part will never go away.
 

commentator

Senior Member
Anytime one is put on unpaid suspension, you should file for unemployment insurance. You should file any time you are out of work without pay for more than a day or two. This is just to get things started, and it does force the hand of the employer. If the employer fires her, she should file at once for unemployment insurance. Having worked in unemployment insurance for many years, some of the most awful work situations I have encountered, and the ones in which employers most often take terrible terrible advantage of their employees is in professional offices such as doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc.

And she should be doing exactly what her employer has been telling her to do. She should be avidly seeking other employment. And as soon as she gets it, she should kiss this jerk goodbye, quickly and without notice. They'll probably try to give her terrible references anyway, as they usually do. But it is VERY important that she not work without being paid appropriately. If she is not being paid, and she quits the job for this reason, she should also file a claim for unemployment. But I have actually seen people in professional offices work for months and months, being strung along and promised wages that never materialize. GET OUT OF THERE.
 

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