I keep seeing posts like “mandatory overtime” and “unpaid overtime” on xyz salary. But if this is scheduled, you're basically working 80hrs week on 40hr-week salary, it means whatever your advertised annual wage is actually only half of it?
Like if you earn 10 dollars per hour on paper (20k annual salary), and that on paper is calculated into your salary written in the contract, but you end up having to work ie. twice the hours for same annual salary, you're effectively earning 5 dollars per hour? How is this allowed? How can contracted annual salary not match the actual per hour pay? What's the point of minimum wage per hour laws if there's no cap on hours/unpaidor mandatory overtime?
I'm in UK and if you work for 20k a year your hourly wage is 9.60 pounds. If you work more hours, technically your annual salary goes up. I'm just confused how per/hour pay is even relevant in USA if it's not connected to annual income. Or am I missing something?