1/3 of my pay taken away

[MackDaddy]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? MA

I am a salaried employee who has a yearly written agreement with my boss as to my pay and benefits.

I walk into a meeting on Tues and am told my pay (as well two others in my group) will have our pay decreased by 33% as of next month as our numbers/sales were not good enough.

On Wed I sit down and talk with my boss to reconsider as I have a mortgage, family to support and my numbers should be taken into individual consideration before such a drastic cut. He tells me we will talk some more the next week.

On Thurs I receive a note from the boss' secretary that the pay is effective immediately as of the new paycheck we are about to receive.

Can he do this??

Would this to be good cause to leave and find a new job as far as unemployment is concerned?

 

[Beth3]

The key question is whether this written "agreement" constitutes a contract. If it's just the customary notification of your new salary, then very likely it does not and the employer may reduce your salary as they see fit as long as they do so in advance of your working any hours at the reduced wage.

As to being eligible for UC benefits if you quit, odds are you will not be but only a UC adjudicator in your State can advise you of that or you can carefully peruse your State's UC reg's if you can find them. Even if you are eligible, that doesn't strike me as a good idea. Your UC benefit might well be less than your new salary nor do you know how long it could take to find a new job. You could exhaust your UC benefits long before you find a new job.

Your best option would be to start a job search immediately and resign your current position when you accept another. It's much easier to explain to a perspective employer that you are seeking new employment because your current employer reduced the salary of the sales force than it is to say you just up and quit because of the reduction - that doesn't show good judgement.

 

[cbg]

You will not get unemployment if you quit because your salary was lowered. That is not a "good cause to quit" in MA (or any other state with which I am familiar).

You MAY get partial unemployment benefits to offset the reduction if you remain on the job at the lower salary. I can personally attest to the fact that MA permits this if you meet the qualifications.

Contact the DET (or whatever it is they're calling it up here these days) to find out whether or not you do.