I work retail. Often we are asked to stay past our scheduled shifts for coverage. My question is, can my employer make me cut that time later in the week so I will not get more than 40 hrs. Or can I keep that time? Secondly, can I be forced to take a longer lunch to "cut" that time or is that a choice I have?

Your employer sets your hours. They have no legal obligation to allow you to work overtime. If they want to send you home so that you do not go over 40 hours, that's entirely legal.

They also set the length of any breaks unless required by law, which is not the case in Michigan. And even if there were, they can require longer ones; just not shorter than required by law.

I work retail. Often we are asked to stay past our scheduled shifts for coverage. My question is, can my employer make me cut that time later in the week so I will not get more than 40 hrs. Or can I keep that time? Secondly, can I be forced to take a longer lunch to "cut" that time or is that a choice I have?

From a legal standpoint, the employer can do just what you described.

Personally, I would have no problem cutting someone's hours later in the week to avoid having overtime for extra hours put in in the start of the week. I do have problems with requiring longer lunch periods to get around the overtime issue, but that is legal.

You can put up with it or seek another job.