Is my new job allowed to do this?

[Moridam]

If you're already concerned with how your new employer operates I would suggest looking for a different job.

^

I had an employer pull something similar to OP's situation this past fall. After i was 'hired', they had mandatory unpaid training sessions, during the first of which it came out that they blatantly lied about compensation during the interview. Oh, and they didn't bother to mention that it was unpaid until after we showed up for the first training session, either. Luckily, I had something else waiting on the back burner so I had the luxury of being able to walk out on them as soon as all that shady business surfaced.

[archibaldcrane]

Another way of restating:

Probably not. Non-Exempt employees generally need to be paid based on actual hours worked and for the employer to legally not pay, the employer would need to argue that the training was not legally hours worked. The related federal rules are below. CA rules might be even tighter, but these rules look plenty tight enough based on what you have said. And CA-DLSE has no problem with enforcing federal FLSA rules.

29 CFR 785.27 - General.
Attendance at lectures, meetings, training programs and similar activities need not be counted as working time if the following four criteria are met:
(a) Attendance is outside of the employee's regular working hours;
(b) Attendance is in fact voluntary;
(c) The course, lecture, or meeting is not directly related to the employee's job; and
(d) The employee does not perform any productive work during such attendance.

29 CFR 785.28 - Involuntary attendance.
Attendance is not voluntary, of course, if it is required by the employer. It is not voluntary in fact if the employee is given to understand or led to believe that his present working conditions or the continuance of his employment would be adversely affected by nonattendance.

[Callisto]

Find every person who's ever attended their orientation, file class-action, get paid.

[Demosthenes11]

Find every person who's ever attended their orientation, file class-action, get paid.

fuck yes, on behalf of everyone.

I just got a letter in the mail the other day saying I'm entitled to $560 for a suit that was won against a company I worked for for 3 months. best experience ive ever had opening mail

[Celestialstrife]

Very tempting, I'll have to look into that.

[Zalius]

im going to apply for like 20,000 jobs that all have mandatory illegally unpaid orientations

[imveryemo]

fuck yes, on behalf of everyone.

I just got a letter in the mail the other day saying I'm entitled to $560 for a suit that was won against a company I worked for for 3 months. best experience ive ever had opening mail

lucky you, I got one with a check for 65 cents

[Kohan]

Yes, and you're going to make a big deal out of a few dollars when the job will be potentially much more?

No, it isn't permissible, and so they absolutely should fight it. Despite the state of the economy, one shouldn't give in to illegal working conditions. You can say that walking away simply means that a more desperate person will take the position regardless, and while that's true, they shouldn't be subject to poor working conditions either.

I've been homeless, and I've been on food stamps, and I have never, ever backed away from an opportunity to fight illegal business practices in the places I've worked. This once led to a huge amount of back pay being rewarded to myself and all of my co-workers.

Don't be a pussy, fight for what you legally deserve.

[hey]

No, it isn't permissible, and so they absolutely should fight it. Despite the state of the economy, one shouldn't give in to illegal working conditions. You can say that walking away simply means that a more desperate person will take the position regardless, and while that's true, they shouldn't be subject to poor working conditions either.

I've been homeless, and I've been on food stamps, and I have never, ever backed away from an opportunity to fight illegal business practices in the places I've worked. This once led to a huge amount of back pay being rewarded to myself and all of my co-workers.

Don't be a pussy, fight for what you legally deserve.

Personally i'd rather deal with shitty conditions than risk being homeless, but ok.

[Kohan]

Personally i'd rather deal with shitty conditions than risk being homeless, but ok.

It's all right if you're a spineless piece of shit. That's your right, after all. Hopefully, wherever you fail, someone who isn't as much of a doormat will come and actually do something about problems.

[Skyylya]

It's all right if you're a spineless piece of shit. That's your right, after all. Hopefully, wherever you fail, someone who isn't as much of a doormat will come and actually do something about problems.

More like if you're a hard working individual with a good work ethic and you're not always looking for the next handout.

[Kohan]

More like if you're a hard working individual with a good work ethic and you're not always looking for the next handout.

I don't...

Are you... responding to me? Or them?

I've re-read this statement several times, and I have absolutely no idea what you're trying to say.

EDIT: It's a very awkwardly-written response, but I assume you're implying that it is somehow more important, and more challenging, to ignore your rights than it is to fight for them. Furthermore, it seems that you believe that having a set of standards and enforcing them somehow equals laziness, even though this requires effort and can be endangering to the individual.

It is rather confounding, but I doubt you thought much about the statement before you posted it.

[hey]

It's all right if you're a spineless piece of shit. That's your right, after all. Hopefully, wherever you fail, someone who isn't as much of a doormat will come and actually do something about problems.

Well, as long as you have the few bucks you deserve to be paid for your orientation, that's all that really matters, right? Things like not freezing to death, food, having more entertaining things to do than throwing rocks at walls, etc obviously don't matter at all.

[Kohan]

Well, as long as you have the few bucks you deserve to be paid for your orientation, that's all that really matters, right? Things like not freezing to death, food, having more entertaining things to do than throwing rocks at walls, etc obviously don't matter at all.

The unfortunate and very real consequence of a short-sighted, "every man for themselves" mentality like this is that it puts you on the same level as the people who are victimized daily by businesses conducting illegal practices, yet you are a perpetrator -- a contributor.

You say, "it's better to roll over and die now than die a slower death that meant something," which is certainly the easier way to go (and this makes the other poster's comment all the more entertaining). It isn't better for you, as in the long run, an employer who does such things will likely shortchange you when it comes to raises, promotions, et cetera, regardless of how hard you work. You've already proven yourself a willful sucker who still believes in the stereotypical "American dream," and why would they try to dissuade you? You're a cheap whore. You're fine with that. You don't care about your rights, you just care about now.

If you believe that's the best way to live, I can see why. It's a survival tactic, and the path of least resistance. You're getting fucked, but it's simpler than researching and understanding your rights, and believing they mean something.

As mentioned, that's fine. I have just as much of a right to ensure that certain laws are upheld as you do to be a miserable pussy. It's what makes this world what it is.

[Acturus]

I've never heard of a home health agency using a "Nurse's Assistant".

Are you expected to go on the HH visits with the RN, or is this more of an office/paperwork kind of assistant?

[hey]

You say, "it's better to roll over and die now than die a slower death that meant something," which is certainly the easier way to go (and this makes the other poster's comment all the more entertaining). It isn't better for you, as in the long run, an employer who does such things will likely shortchange you when it comes to raises, promotions, et cetera, regardless of how hard you work. You've already proven yourself a willful sucker who still believes in the stereotypical "American dream," and why would they try to dissuade you? You're a cheap whore. You're fine with that. You don't care about your rights, you just care about now.

Actually i'm saying that i'd rather be taken advantage of than give up my life (life as in, my life, or as in my life style. Either way).

Principles are nice and all, but they aren't worth potentially dying for.

[greenhills]

Are you sure you won't be selling knives or life insurance to the patients? I've never had a 'real' job not compensate me for my time in training or orientation.

Actually i'm saying that i'd rather be taken advantage of than give up my life (life as in, my life, or as in my life style. Either way).

Principles are nice and all, but they aren't worth potentially dying for.

doormat. principles are the only thing worth dying for.

[Yugl]

No, it isn't permissible, and so they absolutely should fight it. Despite the state of the economy, one shouldn't give in to illegal working conditions. You can say that walking away simply means that a more desperate person will take the position regardless, and while that's true, they shouldn't be subject to poor working conditions either.

I've been homeless, and I've been on food stamps, and I have never, ever backed away from an opportunity to fight illegal business practices in the places I've worked. This once led to a huge amount of back pay being rewarded to myself and all of my co-workers.

Don't be a pussy, fight for what you legally deserve.

I'm glad someone around here actually does something about social issues instead of sitting behind their PC complaining.

[Jb1210a]

From personal experience, I once had an employer who tried to force us to be 15 minutes early to our shifts, earlier than the computer would allow us to clock in. IE, we were forced to be there early without pay. I was sure to make a stink about it and educate the appropriate people on the law, they were relieved I brought this to their attention as it definitely helped them avoid a potentially bad lawsuit. They started paying us for those 15 minutes afterward.

[Meresgi]

Actually i'm saying that i'd rather be taken advantage of than give up my life (life as in, my life, or as in my life style. Either way).

Principles are nice and all, but they aren't worth potentially dying for.

Then what exactly are they worth? That statement there just shows how extremely shallow a person you are honestly, that you would forsake any ideals just to make money.