'Your original pay is now void': Employee quits without notice, fast food manager tries to pay him minimum wage for final paycheck

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 8, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

Here is a friendly reminder that illegal contracts are still null and void regardless of whether or not you signed them. This thread was posted to Reddit's r/antiwork subreddit by a former employee of a popular fast food chain. After quitting without notice, the employee remembered they had signed a contract stating that if this were to happen, they would get paid minimum wage for any final pay periods. 

 

Thankfully, this employee researched their rights and knew this was illegal. They reached back out to the manager and expressed that if this did occur, they would be contacting the Department of Labor. The manager's response was not only completely lame but also completely stupid. You would think if an employee came to you with receipts like that, you would recognize that unless you had receipts of your own, you should give in, but some folks shouldn't be managers. 

 

For more stories like this, here's one about an employee's zoom call fail.

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  • 01
    Font - r/antiwork Posted by u/Dunkin Donuts_throw 20 hours ago 2 Fast food restaurant lies about my hired wage ($11/hr) and changes paycheck's wage from $10/hr to $7.25/hr due to me quitting without a two weeks notice. Other illegal activities below
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  • 02
    Font - < Manager Me....... 9:14 AM Good morning! I hope you're doing well. I recently remembered signing a paper stating that quitting w/o a 2 wks notice means retroactively lowering our wages to the minimum wage. I understand that I only worked one shift, however, I will still be expecting $11/hr for the time I worked as this is illegal under both Georgia & federal labor law Q
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  • 03
    Purple - Me I sent that too early but I would go the labor board if it isn't $11/hr. This is just a heads up. Thanks in advance!! Read 9:16 AM 9:22 AM Manager You were hired at 10 an hour, but you did sign the form stating that this would be the case if you did not give a two week notice. So your original pay is now void because of this. If you were not comfortable with this term, you did not have to move forward with this job.
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  • 04

    For your reference: here is an excerpt from their original correspondence!

    Font - Manager: Thanks for the response! I was hoping the range on the job listing was accurate. Glassdoor puts the average Dunkin crew pay at $12/hr in GA. Is there any wiggle room? 4:48 PM 12:58 PM Tuesday, April 18 1:12 PM Hi! Hope your day is going well. I'm just following up. Hey, im sorry. Im out of town at training. I know the listing stated that range, but that included bakers and decorators as well. You don't have any coffee/ management experience, so the best i could do is 11 right now
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  • 05
    Purple - 4:48 PM 12:58 PM 1:12 PM 9:57 AM GA. Is there any wiggle room/ Hey, im sorry, im out of town at training. I know the listing stated that range, but that included bakers and decorators as well. You don't the Tuesday, April 18 Hit Hope your day is going well. I'm just following up have any co the best i could do is experience, se 11 right now Well, that's awesome you have that experience! My shift leads are not getting paid much more than crew. So i am only able to do 11 right now. If i n
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  • 06
    Font - 1. You must be at work on time. If you are going to be absent or late, you must call in yourself at least 2 hour before your shift begins, emergency situations considered. Having others call in for you is not acceptable. 2. You must be in uniform and be neat and clean. Uniforms are black/dark jeans, Dunkin tee shirt, cap, belt, nametag and non-skid shoes. See your manager on duty for ordering details. You will not be allowed to work in wrinkled or dirty garments or incomplete uniform atti
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  • 07
    Font - This fast food restaurant, known for its donuts, also: • requires hours of unpaid online training, meant to be completed as "homework" • threatens termination for discussing wages
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  • 08
    Font - Thankfully, I left very quickly as I had been interviewing and got accepted to a job that paid much higher soon after starting here. Most of my coworkers were college & high school students, though. I'm tired of being exploited for being young. Rent in this area is $1k for a 1 bedroom, yet jobs barely want to pay you over $10/hr or give you full time. Love being in the rural south!
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  • 09
    Font - ResurgentClusterfuck 20 hr. ago They cannot retroactively change your pay rate for hours already worked They can, absent a contract, lower it for hours you are scheduled but haven't worked 2.8k Reply Share
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  • 10
    Font - RangeMoney2012. 21 hr. ago Tell your Local Dept. of Labor 1.3k Reply Share Dunkin Donuts_throw OP • 21 hr. ago I meant to include it in the OP. I will be, but my hopes are very low because of my friends' experiences with their jobs withholding their last paychecks. I'm in Georgia. Our DOL is terrible. 887 Reply Share
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  • 11
    Font - Rudeboy237 19 hr. ago Him changing what "best I can do" means is genuinely hilarious 214 Reply Share
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  • 12
    Font - Swimming-Location569. 19 hr. ago "Your pay rate is confidential" how about that part 193 Reply Share
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  • 13
    Font - Jediatric 19 hr. ago edited 19 hr. ago Also, them telling you your rate is confidential is a violation of federal rights you have to freely and openly discuss your wages. It is a classic oppression tactic to keep wages low. That alone makes the whole contract null and void. So bring that up as well with Labor.
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  • 14
    Font - kristopherwithak. 19 hr. ago Just because you signed their bs stating that your wage would change without a prior notice does not mean that document is legal or enforceable.
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  • 15
    Font - Jonny_Fairbanks. 19 hr. ago The inability to talk about wages is illegal too. Nice of them to put that on paper.
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  • 16
    Font - Infernalism 21 hr. ago Life lesson: Next time, work your last full pay period, then call off sick until you get your last paycheck, then quit officially.
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  • 17
    Font - Mad-_-Doctor - 19 hr. ago It's insane how many people think that signing something means that laws no longer apply. Worse, a lot of people seem to think that business policies override existing laws.
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workplace-stories toxic-manager work stories toxic-workplace manager work i quit quit toxic-boss workplace reddit thread Reddit fast food quitting toxic-work-environment
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