Legal Question in Employment Law in Georgia

I work at a fuel station and recently my boss claimed that fuel was stolen from the pumps about $2000 worth of fuel stolen. He now wants us (3 of 4 employees) to help pay for the cost of losses...... He wrote a full letter explaining that he will take on $1000 of cost and we three split the other 2k (330 each). I'm pretty sure that's illegal and I'm quitting today, but I would like to be sure. Thanks


Asked on 5/20/14, 6:20 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Michael Caldwell DeLong, Caldwell, Bridgers & Fitzpatrick LLC

The Golden Rule (which is the 2nd rule of the workplace) holds that "He who has the gold makes the rules." The employer may as a condition of employment change your pay rate unilaterallly, or deduct the $330 from your paycheck, so long as in doing so the employer does not pay you less than the minimum wage (plus overtime if you worked it) for all the hours you worked in the week that he made the deduction. If you continue working, that constitutes an agreement to his condition. Ifyou quit, however, he will have nothing to deduct the wages from. He certainly cannot sue you for the loss, unless you have a contract that provides otherwise, or unless you were the one who took the fuel.

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Answered on 5/20/14, 8:00 am


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