E-mail I received from parking company manager I report to

[snugglegirl05]

First some background information pertaining to this post.

I was asked by a previous parking company manger I reported to back in 2007 to clock out & back in for my 15 minute break. My hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. So instead of clocking in at 7 a.m. & out at 3 p.m., I would clock at 3:15 p.m. He told me this because according to him, the parking company we work for could get fined if it was not indicated on my timecard that I clock in & out for a break. According to him, there was some government agency that could fine the parking company if I do not do this. So I agreed to do this. Then he was transferred to another location towards the end of 2007. I also know that copies of the timecards are made, which then are sent to the client company. The reason I know this is because my first manger (the one who requested that I clock in & out for my 15 minute break) would ask me to make copies of the timecards when he came to pick them up the Monday of the week we were to be paid. He would have me make a copy of the timecards everytime he came to pick them up. Then he would drop off an envelope with the copied timecards inside at the Visitor parking booth, & he would ask me to deliver them to dispatch, who would then give them to someone who worked at the university (the client). So I knew that the university had a record of the timecards.

There have been several parking company managers over the account after he was transferred.

I continued clocking in & out for my 15 minute break. I was not told by the other parking company managers to not do this. I assumed the parking company knew I was doing this. It was indicated on my timecards I was doing this.

Several weeks ago I received an e-mail from the current parking company manager I report to. This is what the e-mail stated.

Snugglegirl05, the main office & myself have noticed that you have been getting overtime over the last few weeks. Please do your part in managing your hours by making sure you are getting 8 hours per day. We are not allowed to bill the client for overtime at the university. If there is some unforseen circumstance, then ovetime may be granted. We really not be seeing ovetime on a daily basis. Thank you in advance for helping to manage your hours.

parking company manager over the account

Here is my reply:

My hours are from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. I take a 15 minute break, which I clock out for. So I clock in between 6:55 a.m. & 7 a.m., clock out for my 15 minute break, clock in after my 15 minute break, & then I clock out at 3:15 p.m. "Larry Johnson", who used to be over the account at the university, requested that I do this back in 2007. I have been doing this ever since. Do you want me to clock out at 3 p.m. instead?

Here is his reply:

Snugglegirl05, thank you for explaining. Please know that you 15 minute break is paid. Please clock at 3 p.m.

Thanks,

parking company manger over the account

So I have been doing this for over 3 years & my employer just recently noticed it.

[Magpie]

Isn't it nice to know that they're keeping an eye on what your timecards say? </sarcasm> Actually what they asked you to do in the first place, with clocking out and back in and then out again, at the end of your shift, doesn't sound entirely legal.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Isn't it nice to know that they're keeping an eye on what your timecards say? </sarcasm> Actually what they asked you to do in the first place, with clocking out and back in and then out again, at the end of your shift, doesn't sound entirely legal.

Actually it does. Everyone of my last places of employment required to us to clock out for an unpaid lunch break, then clock back in when it was over, then clock back out again at the end of the day. I did work a job where we got a paid 15 minute and an unpaid lunch. My current job I get one 30 minute unpaid break for an 8 hour shift.

[Magpie]

Oh, for some reason it looked to me as if she was supposed to be working 7 - 3pm, then taking a 15-minute unpaid "break". Makes more sense now.

I've had to clock out for breaks before, any unpaid break we were expected to clock out, they couldn't remove them (that would have had legal issues if I didn't get a full break, I assume).

[bainsidhe]

Actually it does. Everyone of my last places of employment required to us to clock out for an unpaid lunch break

Except this is a paid break, which is why current management is telling the OP not to clock out for it. Frankly, it bothers me that the OP was told to stay 15 minutes late each day in order to clock out at 3:15 and ensure he/she was paid for that break. Sounds like the former manager is the one with time management issues.

[TheMike]

wait, you Only get 1 15min break all day!!??!.. when do you eat lunch? law up here is 8 hour shift gets 2 15's paid. and a minimum 30 lunch.

[Sandman]

I think the OP might live in a state in which there is no lunch break mandated by law. If the OP does.. the OP can't leave their post in which the lunch period MUST be paid for. This happened when I was doing overnights one week at the bent paper fastener.

[Geek King]

wait, you Only get 1 15min break all day!!??!.. when do you eat lunch? law up here is 8 hour shift gets 2 15's paid. and a minimum 30 lunch.

This is not that unusual in jobs where you have a lot of downtime. I've worked several jobs where I didn't get an official lunch break, but management allowed you to grab something and eat at your station when things were slow, or you had to wait for something to process before work could continue.

[Merriweather]

Except this is a paid break, which is why current management is telling the OP not to clock out for it. Frankly, it bothers me that the OP was told to stay 15 minutes late each day in order to clock out at 3:15 and ensure he/she was paid for that break. Sounds like the former manager is the one with time management issues.

Ok, I'm trying to get my head around this. We assume the OP got paid for 8 hours per day.

So, by the latest email, she should be clocked in for 8 straight hours, during which she has a 15 minute break "on the clock". What has been happening, due to bad instructions from previous manager, was being clocked in a total of 8 hours, during which she clocked out for a 15 minute unpaid break.

Which means when she should have actually been working 7 hours 45 minutes for 8 hours pay, she was working 8 hours for her 8 hours pay. Unless company has been paying her for 8 hours and 15 minutes per day, it seems to me they owe her 15 minutes pay for every day she worked following the jerk manager's orders - which over several years could be quite a chunk of money.