not getting a raise that was promised.
by Ryan
(Miami, FL, USA)
I recently took a job with an aircraft company as an engineer. Their policy is to hire through a Staffing company and work hourly for 3 months after which time I was told that I would receive a raise. The initial pay was quite low, but I was willing to get into the job for the experience and the promise of the raise after 3 months. Well 3 months passed and the company informed me that they would like to keep me but without the a raise. The amount of money that they are offering is 29,000 a year, less than half the amount the average entry level Mechanical Engineer makes and less than 30% of what I was making at my first job in an area that has a high cost of living. I commuted an hour each day each way to this job to work from 7-6 and I feel betrayed. Anybody else in my position with a degree in engineering would quit. I do not have the promise in writing, but I believe that Staffng Agent will back my claim.
Hi Ryan,
Well I do believe I would confirm that the staffing agent will back you up and even go as far as to ask for an affidavit or at least a statement. And then I would get documentation to back up the fact that without the promised wage the work is not in line with similar jobs in your labor market and therefore the work is not suitable. This should be ready to go by the time your interview rolls around.
Florida does not have a specific provision for you, but the conditions of hire become important and included a raise after three months and what we are told at the time of hire become relevant because it influences our accepting the job.
But of course we should always be able to prove what we argue .. if unemployment benefits are the goal.
It might not be a bad idea to do some case law research to find a precedent to back up your decision. This is tough to do in Florida .. at least for me, because they don't have anything online to access. But I'm sure a trip to a law library .. or maybe even a visit to fastcase.com might yield a decision.
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