Is this even LEGAL?!?!

Published

Our CEO just pulled me into his office today to inform me that 'corporate' is not happy about the raise I just got 2 months ago and he has to 'readjust' my pay, giving me over 2 dollars an hour cut in pay!!! My job as a charge nurse has not changed, just what the 'company' is willing to pay me. I have never heard of such absurdity. Needless to say, my resume is in the works as we speak and I am out of there after just shy of a year. They must think I'm a fool! By the way, I am a member of prepaid legal and will be investigating this with an attorney, but does anyone know off hand if this is a violation of wage and labor. It sure should be!

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I've worked at hospitals, as a traveler, with very low moral. And, to my surprise, they sometimes are the higher paying RN jobs in the area. They save money by cutting all the support staff down to the bare bones (dietary, CNAs, housekeeping) and giving the RNs a dollar more an hour. This creates an impossible work environment.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.

When you got the raise, did you get anything in writing that was signed by you direct manager? If you did, that might be viewed as a "legal contract". Have you contacted the Human Resources dept or if your state has a labor relations board, you should contact them.

I had to contact the labor board on a local hospital. As soon as i said I was a nurse, the man says, " Oh And you work at the hospital, I guess I'll be calling (he named her by first name) the head of human resources.

Yup, time to start looking for another job. Do keep a paper trail in case they try to give you a negative reference when you leave. I would keep it quiet that I was looking to move, I would not be hasty and take the first job.

Look at it as a New Opportunity. Good Luck?:D

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Specializes in NICU, Post-partum.

I'll share something with you that happened with a friend of mine, so you can make educated decisions.

I had a friend of mine that was working in upper-level management for a company...he knew his worth in his field and felt he wasn't getting paid what he was worth. Repeated requests for a raise were denied.

Well, he went job searching...within two weeks he was offered a job with a competitor at a significant pay raise...he accepted the job offer.

Now here is where it got sticky......

He went to his employer to put in notice...his boss looked at him and said, "You are leaving over money right?" My friend said, "Yup, other than that, I would stay."

That same afternoon, my friend got notice that he was getting a $27K per year raise...this exceeded the job offer he recently got...so he called them back..told them he was staying where he was.

5 months later, my friend's boss called him in his office and terminated him.

Turned out my friend only got a raise b/c they really needed him to stay...but needed a few months to find a cheaper replacement.

The reason I am telling you this..is be careful and keep your eyes open if they suddenly become "reasonable" with the salary.

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Specializes in OB.

Given the current economic crisis, I think this will become a more common scenario. Another option you may want to consider, if this job is otherwise beneficial to you - location, work conditions, etc. is to negotiate other compensation to "make up for" your acceptance of a pay cut. Would they consider increasing vacation or PTO days, giving you a better shift, increased education compensation, guaranteed hours? May not work, but it's always worth asking. Of course, be sure to get any offers in writing.

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Specializes in CTICU.
I'll share something with you that happened with a friend of mine, so you can make educated decisions.

I had a friend of mine that was working in upper-level management for a company...he knew his worth in his field and felt he wasn't getting paid what he was worth. Repeated requests for a raise were denied.

Well, he went job searching...within two weeks he was offered a job with a competitor at a significant pay raise...he accepted the job offer.

Now here is where it got sticky......

He went to his employer to put in notice...his boss looked at him and said, "You are leaving over money right?" My friend said, "Yup, other than that, I would stay."

That same afternoon, my friend got notice that he was getting a $27K per year raise...this exceeded the job offer he recently got...so he called them back..told them he was staying where he was.

5 months later, my friend's boss called him in his office and terminated him.

Turned out my friend only got a raise b/c they really needed him to stay...but needed a few months to find a cheaper replacement.

The reason I am telling you this..is be careful and keep your eyes open if they suddenly become "reasonable" with the salary.

I can't say I blame the employer in that scenario - very common in corporate world. Once someone has made it known that they are only there for the money, I'd be looking for a replacement too.

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I can't say I blame the employer in that scenario - very common in corporate world. Once someone has made it known that they are only there for the money, I'd be looking for a replacement too.

he did nt say it was only money......

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.
he did nt say it was only money......

I agree and to me it would be more about their complete lack of decorum. Then again I've never been ashamed to admit that I absolutely do go to work for the money and sought out a job in my area with top wages. This in no way means that I don't value my job and love my patients just that there is a reason its called work and if I'm going to do it I'm getting the most bang for my buck. :)

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Specializes in CTICU.
he did nt say it was only money......

Perhaps I misunderstood this quote then:

He went to his employer to put in notice...his boss looked at him and said, "You are leaving over money right?" My friend said, "Yup, other than that, I would stay."

That to me clearly says that you are leaving/staying over money.

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

this happened at my first rn job. i was told 2 weeks into the job that i had been hired at the wrong rate and my hourly rate was cut significantly. i quit on the spot. yes, it is legal for an employer to do that because we are hired at will. it is also legal for you to say, "well, then, i quit." you do not have to give any kind of notice that that you are quitting either with the exception that as a nurse you cannot walk off the job while you have responsibility for patients in your care (abandonment) while clocked in and on duty. giving notice of quitting is a company rule and you do not have to follow it unless you chose to. most do under threat of getting a good letter of recommendation or a promise of rehire in the future.

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Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

He should have stuck with the new job and not let the former boss talk him into staying. Its that simple. I made that exact mistake when I was a teen working in resteraunts.

New job offered 25cents more and said I'd be cooking on weekends by the third month. Old job offered 30cent raise with promises to make me just a cook full time whithin a month. I got the raise, never became a cook.

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I'll share something with you that happened with a friend of mine, so you can make educated decisions.

I had a friend of mine that was working in upper-level management for a company...he knew his worth in his field and felt he wasn't getting paid what he was worth. Repeated requests for a raise were denied.

Well, he went job searching...within two weeks he was offered a job with a competitor at a significant pay raise...he accepted the job offer.

Now here is where it got sticky......

He went to his employer to put in notice...his boss looked at him and said, "You are leaving over money right?" My friend said, "Yup, other than that, I would stay."

That same afternoon, my friend got notice that he was getting a $27K per year raise...this exceeded the job offer he recently got...so he called them back..told them he was staying where he was.

5 months later, my friend's boss called him in his office and terminated him.

Turned out my friend only got a raise b/c they really needed him to stay...but needed a few months to find a cheaper replacement.

The reason I am telling you this..is be careful and keep your eyes open if they suddenly become "reasonable" with the salary.

This tactic sounds familiar. Surprised it took five months, but then that decreases chances of crying retaliation. I think the words, ruthless, cunning, and vindictive apply here.

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Wow! This has all been a very interesting read. I already have 2 different opportunities that have been mentioned to me by individuals at other facilities (in only the past 48 hours, I might add), before I have even had the chance to update my resume ... :smokin:. On the other side of things, I don't dislike ANYONE in management inside the walls of our building ... it is someone from corporate; nameless, faceless individuals that are pulling the strings. People that don't even know me or see the product of my work! And, I HATE learning policies and units and patients all over again from brand new. Guess I wouldn't like travel nursing too much. However, I do have a responsibility to provide as best as I can for my wife and little boy. We need to eat and stay warm and dry. So many things to think about ...

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