hello

I'm a carpenter for a small construction company here in ohio. We had a meeting
the other day and I was told that our start time had changed. Plus our employer informed us that we need to start about 10-15 mins early only not get paid for it
I am confused about this because his concern is that we are non-productive when we drive to the job from the shop site. I guess my question is:is it illegal to start work before the start time and not get paid for it? and if there is a copy of the federal or state law saying this?

tks jbs394 :confused:

http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/whdfs23.htm
http://www.dol.gov/dol/allcfr/ESA/Title_29/Part_785/29CFR785.11.htm

Assuming you are non-exempt, you must be paid for all time physically worked and paid overtime as applicable. It's fine to have a policy stating you must report to work 10-15 minutes prior to start time. If you are working during this time, the time is compensable and should be paid. If you are not working, then it's fine to not pay for this time.