I have worked at a tanning salon for 6 months now as an associate. Ever since i have worked there i have never been allowed breaks paid or unpaid. And sometimes i am alone for eight hours by myself with no one to relieve me to take a break. They also schedule me and others to work till ten, most nights we are there later than that and put us on the schedule to wake up the next day and be there before 7 to open the salon. is that ok? One night i was working with someone else and left for ten minutes to go get food and now i ve got a written warning for leaving without clocking out or back in. Is this legal? im just sick of getting written warnings for stuff, when i have to eat my dinner at the front desk and take clients at the same time. Plus ive gotten a verbal warning for bringing my cell phone into the salon. They dont want to have them there and i left mine but my employer then checked my phone details and told me about it, because she wanted to see if i had been using my phone while on the clock, which i wasnt. IS this legal to do? The salon has a high turnover rate because they fire girls over ridiculous things...and tell other girls right before they fire them. Im thinking im next. please help thanks.

It may or may not be fair, and it may or may not be a good way to run a business, but yes, at least in your state, everything you mention is legal.

thanks for replying so fast, i am actually from massachusetts myself and ive only lived here for a while....one more question...theyve said if we dont discount certain sales or lotions right then they will take it out of our pay...and that if we dont wear our badges every time they will charge us five dollars out of our pay. is it legal?

I'll let one of the payroll people catch that one. I don't have the details of which states allow which deductions.

BTW, even in MA the only thing that would be illegal would be refusing you a lunch break, and only then if you work a shift of 6 hours or longer. The rest would still be legal here (I'm in MA too.)

thank you i know that law in massachusetts, but ive never been treated so bad in a job like i have here. if anyone else can offer any more advice that would be great. thanks again.

I couldn't find anything in the Utah Labor Code which addresses the need for employee authorization, written or otherwise, for deductions that are not otherwise required by law.

You are always welcome to look for a job at another salon or with a different employer with policies more to your liking.