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Antiwork

Abusive docked pay policy

This is in Ohio. A relative explained that a nearby plant will dock an hourly worker’s pay as follows: If an employee is even 1 minute late, they will dock their pay $5 for every hour they work that day. I was pretty outraged by this policy and I’m wondering about its legality. I googled “docked pay” laws and it seems to me that it’s only legal for an employer to dock pay in increments of 30 minutes, I.e., if a worker is late by 1 minute, you could dock their pay for the full half hour. I’m no lawyer, so I don’t know if an employer could make this policy part of their employment agreement. It just screams control and abuse to me, a policy written by someone who was probably abused and neglected as a child. Report to DOL? Or does an employer have leeway here to write…


This is in Ohio. A relative explained that a nearby plant will dock an hourly worker’s pay as follows:

If an employee is even 1 minute late, they will dock their pay $5 for every hour they work that day.

I was pretty outraged by this policy and I’m wondering about its legality. I googled “docked pay” laws and it seems to me that it’s only legal for an employer to dock pay in increments of 30 minutes, I.e., if a worker is late by 1 minute, you could dock their pay for the full half hour.

I’m no lawyer, so I don’t know if an employer could make this policy part of their employment agreement.

It just screams control and abuse to me, a policy written by someone who was probably abused and neglected as a child.

Report to DOL? Or does an employer have leeway here to write such a policy?

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