Common Reasons Why Satellite and Cable Installers Are Not Paid Fair Wages
Few things can be more frustrating than working 40+ hours a week, only to discover that your paycheck is not the amount it should be.
Cable and satellite dish installers are no different from other professions, when it comes to their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Installers are entitled to be paid the federal minimum wage, currently $7.75 per hour, in addition to overtime pay at one and a half times the normal hourly rate for hours worked over 40.
But for some hard-working cable and satellite dish installers, paychecks are cut short and overtime goes unpaid.
The Houston fair wage overtime attorneys at Kennedy Hodges want to share the most common causes of installers not being paid fair wages, in order to raise awareness and help you protect your paychecks. For example:
The installer is not paid for the time he spent at training. Companies are required to pay their workers for the time they are required to spend learning new job tasks, techniques, features, and protocol. Employers cannot mandate training without paying their employees to take it.
The installer is not paid for the time it takes to travel to the customer's home or business. The cable or satellite company is responsible for compensating the installer for the time and money it costs him to get to the place where the installation occurs. If the company is sending the installer, even if the appointment is far away, that installer should not be responsible for the cost of their gas and should be paid for travel time.
The installer is not paid for the time he must wait for the customer. Much like the rule about being paid for travel time, if the installer must wait for the customer at their place of residence or business, then the employer should compensate for the installer's wait time. The company should have a mandate in place that instructs the installer on the maximum amount of time that he should wait for a customer.
The installer is not paid for the time worked before he clocked in or after he clocked out. The FLSA requires that cable and satellite installers be paid for all time worked - even if the employee is technically off the clock. Many times installers must take time to check their equipment or prepare their vehicles for the job. This is still work and installers must be paid for this time.
The installer was not paid, even though he worked through his lunch. Sometimes installations take longer than expected, which may cause the installer to forgo all or part of his lunch break to finish a job. As long as the installer does not routinely refuse to take a lunch break, he should be paid for the work performed during lunch.
If you are a cable or satellite installer experiencing any of the above problems, contact the Texas fair overtime attorneys at Kennedy Hodges, LLP for your free copy of The Ten Biggest Mistakes that Can Hurt Your Wage and Overtime Claim by calling 888.449.2068. Or fill out our online form to schedule your free case evaluation where an attorney will sit down with you, review your claim, and provide you with the best solution to protect your paycheck.
