questions & answers

Question: My employer has us keep receipts (tickets with the food orders written on them) she is threatening to take $100 for every ticket that gets lost. More than 3 different employees handle these tickets along side the cashier daily. Is this legal for her to take $100 from the cashier if a ticket gets lost?

Answer: In Arizona, an employer is only allowed to refuse to pay an employee wages if; 1) it is required by law (such as garnishments or social security), 2) the employee has agreed to it in writing (such as insurance payments), or 3) when the employer has a “reasonable good faith dispute as to the amount of wages due…” While it is difficult define a “reasonable good faith dispute,” because it largely depends on the circumstances in each situation, it generally means that the employer has good reason to believe they would win a case for the money in a lawsuit against the employee. A.R.S. § 23-352 If an employee believes their employer has unfairly withheld their wages, the employee should contact the State Labor Department for information about filing a complaint which the Department will investigate. http://www.ica.state.az.us/Labor/Labor_main.aspx