Need advice about company screwing with pay from armchair lawyers

With no written contract he is an "employee at will", which means he can be fired at any time and I also believe it means the employer can alter the terms of employment at any time (including pay). His only and best recourse is to quit and get a better paying job. It's unfortunate he moved cross country to take this job, but he will be much better off leaving this owner in the rear view mirror.

My brother leased on as O/O with a company a couple of years ago. As is described in your situation the owner had several smallish trucking companies and liked to continuously see how far he could push the O/O's or company drivers. "Gosh the economy is so bad, I can't pay you what I was paying you." The upshot is that he had that many companies because he is staying one step ahead of bad CSA scores. A shady business owner is best left behind.

 

He is an at will employee so he can be terminated without cause.

From the Dept. of Labor FAQ's

Thoughts? Welcome Home!!

 

Just move on..things will get worse before they get better

 

In a situation like that, especially one involving a long distance move, cut your losses and get out before the situation worsens. This sort of thing often happens when the owners get in a sticky spot somehow, and start restructuring things in an attempt to pull as much money out of the organisation before it tanks. Any number of things can bring it on...overspending on equipment and subsequently losing a vital contract, financing the owner's kid's cocaine habit, jerking employees on pay for years and then realizing it can in fact turn around and bite them, and the list goes on and on.

I've left 2 separate small companies for monkeying with pay, and am a member in a class action against one of them. Call me a pessimist, but there's no reason to stay on with an outfit having that kind of business ethics.

 

Legally, with no contract the company could change it's rate whenever they feel like it. Unethical..yea, illegal, I wouldn't think so. Id suggest not quitting untill he has somthing lese lined up. Then before quitting have a sit down with the boss and try to renegotiate. If that fails, jump ship. If your son is a new driver he is lucky to mak average.

 

Here's another trucker trickery......Langer came to Houston wanting to steal business from the locals...ok fine, many have tried , most tucked tail and left. Anyway they paid the local boys $23 an hour, every hour and filled the seats. Also pick up some of the best line haul guys around with top dollar and started running.

As predicted the carrier couldn't possibly keep paying these rates especially chasing Dow accounts, the money isn't there. The nay sayers said "you watch, this will last 6 months and they will cut the wages" Well sure enough, started a couple of weeks ago, drivers trying to go back where they came from, others just leaving and so on.

Now the experts tell me when this venture to Houston was planned , so was the cut and an "acceptable loss " of drivers was noted in the plan with the desert being the carrier is here and established.

It's a rotten deal I'm sure for your son......If it were my son I would say 2 choices, search the area briefly for another position or pack the bags and head home. I certainly would not continue to give 100% to these guys....

JMO

 

One great reason for being an owner. Lease out or go independent. Also, there are good companies, but the one your son hired on to was in financial trouble, cutting costs by lowering driver wage, a major line item for trucking companies. He needs another company. Soon.

 

Condo's post says it all. An attorney one told me he could walk in his front office and fire every secretary he had working for him, without any excuse. He said hed be crazy if he did but he could. He said that's what employ at will meant. He said the employer is free to set their own rules and regulations, or even terminate the employee if they want and mutually, the employee could leave the company at will, with no reason for leaving.

Me, personally, I would exercise my right in this situation because it will probably only get worse. (I would make sure I had something to leave it for first though- maybe something closer to home?) JMO

 

Typical "Shady company.He probably gets a fat bonus for saving the co money.Seen this first hand. Brought in a new big wig.Two weeks later he decided" Hey these guys are getting paid too much" so a letter about a new pay scale for hourly(16 max for hourly) some were making 18 and 14 max for straight truck driver. One was making 16 at the time.Most drivers left within 6 months.But there was a greenhorn glad to fill your job with no experience. They also took the workload overall up by 400% in a year. Talk about a cluster. Yeah, move back home.