To ring in the beginning of the holiday shopping season marked by Black Friday, this article will discuss overtime and holiday pay. You may assume that working more than eight hours a day or 40 hours a week entitles you to overtime. You may also think that you should get a wage bonus for working holidays. This sounds especially true during holiday marathon sale events like Black Midnight and Black Friday. Unfortunately, you would be mostly wrong with those assumptions. Missouri provides minimal protections for overtime and holiday pay.
If overtime is in effect, then Missouri employers must pay at least one and one-half times the employee’s regular pay rate. Overtime comes into effect once you work more than 40 hours in a single workweek. However, you are not entitled to overtime if you work more than eight hours in a single day so long as you do not exceed 40 hours a workweek.
Additionally, Missouri does not require that employers provide either vacation pay or sick leave. So if you were forced to work on Thanksgiving this year, then you are not entitled to any special holiday rates. Additionally, if you are sick and miss a few shifts, your employer is not required to pay you sick leave. All of these benefits are considered fringe and they are up to the employer’s discretion to provide them.
This means that a great deal of your rights as an employee is contained in any contract or employee handbook your employer gives you. You may want to consult with a knowledgeable employment law attorney today to determine if you were denied overtime or holiday pay during this weekend sale. If you worked the time, you deserve to be paid a fair wage for your labor. Do not sacrifice your rights to overtime or holiday pay. You earned that money, and you deserve to be paid. Speak to an attorney and formulate a plan to get your money.
