Subway owner reduced my pay from $16/hr to federal min wage for shifts previously worked?!? INDIANA

Hello I’m very confused and angry right now over this whole situation!!

So I’ve worked for a local Subway for almost 3 years now here in Indiana (general manager) and we’re paid bi-weekly. I was being paid the agreed-upon hourly wage of $16 (@ 40+ hrs a week), but this last Thursday (10/3/24) I hit my breaking point and decided to quit my job there. Now here is the issue: my pay gets direct deposited, but it never arrived. The following day I found out the owner removed me from receiving my direct deposit and instead had a paper check at the store. Once I finally got it and opened it, I was shocked to see that the shifts I had previously worked (9/18/24-10/1/24) had been reduced from $16 to only $7.25 per hour! This can’t be legal whatsoever!

What can I do in order to force the owner to pay me what is truly owed to me? Because this check shows it’s for 75.52 total hours worked, which should have been $1,208.32. But since it switched to federal minimum wage ($7.25), I’m only looking at $547.52! He literally stole over 50+% of my check!

Illegal, file a claim with your state’s department of labor.

Mackenzie said:
Illegal, file a claim with your state’s department of labor.

Yes, that’s exactly what I figured would have to happen. But do you happen to know or can cite the actual law that covers this? Honestly, I just want what’s owed to me ASAP and fear that the labor board will take forever. I’m just worried about how to pay bills/get groceries for my kids and myself while we wait for this to pass.

@Valen
You could tell your employer that what they did was illegal. Let them know they need to fix it immediately or you’ll be reporting it to the department of labor. Then, find another job.

Dru said:
@Valen
You could tell your employer that what they did was illegal. Let them know they need to fix it immediately or you’ll be reporting it to the department of labor. Then, find another job.

Even if they do fix it, report them and find another job.

Dru said:
@Valen
You could tell your employer that what they did was illegal. Let them know they need to fix it immediately or you’ll be reporting it to the department of labor. Then, find another job.

Try to do this over email, text, or recorded phone call (if legal in your area). The only thing better than having an employer fix their actions is having a paper/digital trail.

@Valen
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

They can’t reduce your pay for shifts already worked. You can make a wage claim here: DOL: Online Wage Claim Form

The bonus is more complicated. You would need to sue there.

@Rory
What bonus? The post doesn’t say anything about a bonus.

Shay said:
@Rory
What bonus? The post doesn’t say anything about a bonus.

It’s been edited. They said they were to get bonuses for health inspections.

Shay said:
@Rory
What bonus? The post doesn’t say anything about a bonus.

I don’t think ‘bonus’ was the right term. It might have been something like a reward for whistleblowing on the employer. There are instances where employees can receive extra compensation if their reports lead to legal action.

Document, document, document. Have all discussions on this matter through text or email with your boss whenever possible. If they are verbal, take detailed notes. Make sure you keep track of the hours you worked and what was said.

Here is the link to file a wage claim with Indiana: DOL: Online Wage Claim Form

You might also check to see if this has happened to others. The more cases there are, the more likely the state will pursue this employer.

@Eli
Yes, sadly, this isn’t the first time I’ve heard of the owner doing this! Earlier this year, I found out that the owner never took out county taxes from my paychecks. When I filed my taxes, I ended up owing over $500 to the state. I brought it to his attention, and he claimed to have ‘fixed it,’ but I still had to pay the money!

@Valen
You should reach out to Subway corporate and your store’s development office. They should be able to bring pressure to get your pay corrected.

Franz said:
@Valen
You should reach out to Subway corporate and your store’s development office. They should be able to bring pressure to get your pay corrected.

I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! Thank you.

@Valen
Just curious, what market are you in?

Franz said:
@Valen
Just curious, what market are you in?

Market? Do you mean which part of Indy?