To: Tom Udahl, Senator
working in santa fe, nm and getting reamed?
Dear Senator Udahl,
Here is a letter I sent to the Director of Wage and Hour division at the Pacheco center, I called and left about 3 messages this past week, and no one has corresponded to my call, nor the Director to my email. I have been ill with the fle this week and am most disappointed in the state labor and hour laws and am hoping you can shed some light on the facts. Why is my employer able to get away with this kind of "slave labor?" I really want to know. So I am starting this petition to let the other hourly waged employees know the way the law is written, it doesn't protect any of us!
6/3/13
Dear Jason,
I just started a part time job at Turquoise Butterfly at 149 E Alameda, in Santa Fe. After I read the employee handbook, I was very concerned. I am attaching a copy a long with my pay stubs. I looked online and was mortified that New Mexico workers have NO RIGHTS period, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938! I was going to start a petition, but yesterday ran into someone that knew the laws . They explained that which ever law, state or federal is more favorable to the worker, is the law that supersedes.
I have seen a lot of frugal people in my life, but my new boss has topped that triple fold:(
These are the items of my concern:
_No breaks (3.7)
_No holiday pay (6.2)
_No weekend differential pay
_No evening differential pay
_No overtime, unless over 40 hours a week
_No parking
_NO AC/NO FANS:(
_EMS charges are responsibility of employee in an emergency
_Business Trash is the employees responsibility to dispose of
A paid 15 minute break is given after 4 hours of work, according to federal guidelines. Holiday pay is a way the co you work for shows their appreciation. Weekend, Sunday and evening(6pm-6am) differential pay I thought was also a federal regulation. As for the overtime, I thought any hours worked after 8 in a day, you were suppose to be paid overtime. A good example of what I am stating is memorial weekend, I worked 8 hours Friday, 9 hours Saturday, and 8.75 hours Sunday. Each day I was only given a half hour unpaid lunch, and as you know, NO BREAKS. Was I entitled to overtime pay? I believe so.
Since the owner wants to be open 7 days a week, 9am until whenever the clients stop coming in, 6, 7, 8, or 9 pm, I feel she should have to pay, holiday, evening, weekend, and Sunday differential pay. Am I correct?
Parking is a big problem in Santa Fe. We are right across from the Land Office. I have to park at the courthouse, 4 blocks away and walk. What is going to happen when the legislature is in? I can't afford to dump $10 in the meter per day. Also, do not forget there is a 2 hour limit. I can't go out every 2 hours to move my vehicle either!
My boss is so cheap, she will not let us run the AC, even thought it works excellent. And she hasn't even had the consideration to bring in fans:( Some days it can be between 80 and 90 degrees in there. My blouses get saturated down and under my arms, making me quite embarrassed:( You can only apply so much deodorant and powder. But when the heat is high, we're not perspiring, we are sweating like pigs!
And the one that blows my mind, is that she is so frugal, she won't even order a dumpster for the store trash. My manager told me that on Sundays the trash needs to be disposed of. We had 8 large kitchen bags full and I watched her tote all of them into her vehicle. She said she was taking them to her apt to put in her dumpster at home. Then she went on to say that when I work by myself, it was my responsibility to do the same!?!?! I didn't say a word, but, NOT. I live in a duplex, and we have to share a small dispenser between us. That 8 bags would fill our can twice! Not to mention I am not paying for her business trash, nor am I getting fined for dropping it in someone else's!
I do not want my name divulged because even though it's only a part time job, I need it. There are so few out there right at the moment. I would be afraid she would fire me.
What do I need to do from here? Well, I said my peace, and do you feel I have good cause?
Sincerely,
Slave Labor
Here is a letter I sent to the Director of Wage and Hour division at the Pacheco center, I called and left about 3 messages this past week, and no one has corresponded to my call, nor the Director to my email. I have been ill with the fle this week and am most disappointed in the state labor and hour laws and am hoping you can shed some light on the facts. Why is my employer able to get away with this kind of "slave labor?" I really want to know. So I am starting this petition to let the other hourly waged employees know the way the law is written, it doesn't protect any of us!
6/3/13
Dear Jason,
I just started a part time job at Turquoise Butterfly at 149 E Alameda, in Santa Fe. After I read the employee handbook, I was very concerned. I am attaching a copy a long with my pay stubs. I looked online and was mortified that New Mexico workers have NO RIGHTS period, according to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938! I was going to start a petition, but yesterday ran into someone that knew the laws . They explained that which ever law, state or federal is more favorable to the worker, is the law that supersedes.
I have seen a lot of frugal people in my life, but my new boss has topped that triple fold:(
These are the items of my concern:
_No breaks (3.7)
_No holiday pay (6.2)
_No weekend differential pay
_No evening differential pay
_No overtime, unless over 40 hours a week
_No parking
_NO AC/NO FANS:(
_EMS charges are responsibility of employee in an emergency
_Business Trash is the employees responsibility to dispose of
A paid 15 minute break is given after 4 hours of work, according to federal guidelines. Holiday pay is a way the co you work for shows their appreciation. Weekend, Sunday and evening(6pm-6am) differential pay I thought was also a federal regulation. As for the overtime, I thought any hours worked after 8 in a day, you were suppose to be paid overtime. A good example of what I am stating is memorial weekend, I worked 8 hours Friday, 9 hours Saturday, and 8.75 hours Sunday. Each day I was only given a half hour unpaid lunch, and as you know, NO BREAKS. Was I entitled to overtime pay? I believe so.
Since the owner wants to be open 7 days a week, 9am until whenever the clients stop coming in, 6, 7, 8, or 9 pm, I feel she should have to pay, holiday, evening, weekend, and Sunday differential pay. Am I correct?
Parking is a big problem in Santa Fe. We are right across from the Land Office. I have to park at the courthouse, 4 blocks away and walk. What is going to happen when the legislature is in? I can't afford to dump $10 in the meter per day. Also, do not forget there is a 2 hour limit. I can't go out every 2 hours to move my vehicle either!
My boss is so cheap, she will not let us run the AC, even thought it works excellent. And she hasn't even had the consideration to bring in fans:( Some days it can be between 80 and 90 degrees in there. My blouses get saturated down and under my arms, making me quite embarrassed:( You can only apply so much deodorant and powder. But when the heat is high, we're not perspiring, we are sweating like pigs!
And the one that blows my mind, is that she is so frugal, she won't even order a dumpster for the store trash. My manager told me that on Sundays the trash needs to be disposed of. We had 8 large kitchen bags full and I watched her tote all of them into her vehicle. She said she was taking them to her apt to put in her dumpster at home. Then she went on to say that when I work by myself, it was my responsibility to do the same!?!?! I didn't say a word, but, NOT. I live in a duplex, and we have to share a small dispenser between us. That 8 bags would fill our can twice! Not to mention I am not paying for her business trash, nor am I getting fined for dropping it in someone else's!
I do not want my name divulged because even though it's only a part time job, I need it. There are so few out there right at the moment. I would be afraid she would fire me.
What do I need to do from here? Well, I said my peace, and do you feel I have good cause?
Sincerely,
Slave Labor
Why is this important?
Santa Fe, NM workers have no rights period. No Breaks. No Parking. No lunch, at the employers discretion. No Nothing! I was mortified when I received my employee handbook...and guess what, She's getting away with it:(