So I live in Virginia and I’m a part time receptionist at a dog kennel. I’ve been looking through my paychecks recently and noticed that despite my state’s minimum wage going up to $12 on January 1st of this year, I’m still only getting paid $11 an hour. I’m missing about $200 from the paychecks that I’ve gotten this year and while that isn’t a lot it’s still substantial enough that I’m upset about it. I was almost promised in-writing that I would receive a Christmas bonus, but I never did. I’ve gotten 4 paychecks since the year started so I don’t think it’s an issue of the paychecks just not catching up or anything. My brother, who also works here (albeit in a different position) has been getting $12 an hour since the year started, although he also never received a Christmas bonus.
While I’m fairly certain that paying below minimum wage is illegal, is the lack of a Christmas bonus despite being promised one illegal as well? And what should I do about either issue? I’d prefer to try and just (respectfully and peacefully) negotiate with my boss because quitting this job isn’t an option, but I’m not sure what the best way of doing that would be. Because of the lack of staffing, however, the chances of me being fired are low. Advice?