HI i work part time at a fire department and they want to start enforcing employees to go to there meetings monthly without pay or any compensation. in the meetings they discuss fire department poilcy changes and upcomming events and news about the department. can they mandate this without paying me ?

I looked around on this forum and i found this .....

Yes, if you are a non exempt (autorized to receive overtime pay) worker, or if you are paid by the hour.

LECTURES, MEETINGS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS

§ 785.27 General.

Attendance at lectures, meetings, training programs and similar activities
need not be counted as working time if the following four criteria are met:
(a) Attendance is outside of the employee’s regular working hours;
(b) Attendance is in fact voluntary;
(c) The course, lecture, or meeting is not directly related to the employee’s job; and
(d) The employee does not perform any productive work during such attendance.

§ 785.28 Involuntary attendance.


When i read this i am a bit confused is it saying that those are the requirements that have to be met so that they dont have to pay you ?

also i am unsure if i am a non exempt employee, we are part time paid by hour and dont get enough hours to get over-time ..

Also if they are in violation who should be contacted to camplain the labor board or FLSA ?

If you are paid by the hour, you are a non-exempt worker, authorized to get overtime pay, if you work over 40 hrs in a single workweek.

If you are required to attend those employer mandated meeting, your are considered to be working, and it must be counted as hrs worked. This hrs worked must be included to your other worked hrs during the same workweek.

You may approach your employer, and let him know about the law (FLSA). If does not trust the you then you have the right to contact the federal labor dept - US Labor Dept Wage Hour Division - and complain. You reference 785.27 is the correct citation of the federal law.

Any chance you are a union member?

Any chance you are a union member?

that would be a negative :(

And, are you by any chance a firefighter?