Christmas pay

[semperfi528]

I work for a private college and am currently only a part-time employee in the security department. Due to Christmas break coming up, we are locking down campus. With everyone gone, we just received word that the accounting office is delaying our Christmas pay. This weeks pay period is supposed to end on Dec 25 and will be paid on Dec 30. Since Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are double pay, we have quite a few guards who signed up for those shifts expecting to get that money on the 30th. We just found out that from Dec 21st through Dec 25th the hours on those days will not go onto our paycheck on the 30th, but but will show up on the next paycheck on the 13th.

My concern is that I am being shorted quite a bit of money that I need for the bills on the first of the month, not the middle of the month. Last paycheck they messed up my pay as well and I had to not make a payment on a credit card due to the lack of funds. They told me that I could request a cash advance but I live far away, work nights and would have to come in on my time off when I should be sleeping. Cash advance for our accounting offices tend to take a few days to process as well and will most likely not reach me on time. Also for this pay period, since campus is locked down, how can we ask for a cash advance when they aren't even available to provide one?

What are the laws concerning this? Can they do this to us? If this is illegal, who do we contact and how do I go about it?

Thanks!

[Pattymd]

In Minnesota, with a few exceptions, the law states employees only have to be paid once a month, and no later than 15 days after the end of the pay period. So, if you should have been paid on Dec. 30 and do not get paid until Jan 11, it appears the company is not in violation of this law. I agree that it is very unfair. I've been an HR/payroll professional for over 27 years and I've never heard of anyone doing this, if for no other reason than it is terrible customer service, even if it were not a violation of any law.