Can my GM change a salary offer made to me by the owner

[redouglas57]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Oklahoma
My wife works in the Hotel Industry and was recently given a new position with a salary of $32,000+ 15% of all her sales. Owner told her her salary would begin on March 1st. She just got her paycheck and it turns out the GM had contacted the owner and told him my wife had agreed to take $23,000 salary and 10% of her sales.
Please tell me she has broken the law or something? Meanwhile my wife has contacted the owner and he said to not do anything until he comes into town this week. What should she do if anything concerning legal?

 

[justalayman]

If there is not an enforceable contract, if the GM has the authority to alter her pay, as long as any proper notice is provided (haven't checked for any requirement), the GM can change her pay rate. At the moment, I would wait to see what the owner has to say about the matter before making an issue of it. For all you know, the owner may agree with your wife and reinstate the higher pay and commission. If he doesn't, what happened is still not illegal. She would have to decide if she was willing to continue at the lower pay or take some other action.

 

[redouglas57]

If there is not an enforceable contract, if the GM has the authority to alter her pay, as long as any proper notice is provided (haven't checked for any requirement), the GM can change her pay rate. At the moment, I would wait to see what the owner has to say about the matter before making an issue of it. For all you know, the owner may agree with your wife and reinstate the higher pay and commission. If he doesn't, what happened is still not illegal. She would have to decide if she was willing to continue at the lower pay or take some other action.

The one thing that stands out, is that when my wife spoke to the owner he was shocked that his GM had told him that this lower amount was approved and accepted by my wife, which is a bald faced lie.

 

[anteater]

Lying is not illegal in most situations.

 

[LdiJ]

Lying is not illegal in most situations.

I agree that its not illegal, but its sure the kind of thing that gets a person fired. My concern would be retaliation by the GM if the GM doesn't get fired.

 

[cbg]

The law does not dictate who can and who cannot change salary offers. It's entirely up to the employer who has permission to do so.

Regardless of whether the GM lied or misunderstood (a maxim I was taught long ago was never to attribute to malice what could be ascribed to sheer incompetence), since it appears that the owner is sticking by the original offer, she has no damages and thus EVEN IF it were illegal, which it it not, she would have no legal recourse.