Unfair Compensation in the Workplace

Unit 9: Assignment
Unfair Labor and Compensation Practices
In this assignment, you will be assessed based on the following Outcomes:
Analyze the role of government with regard to compensation.
Demonstrate college-level communication through the composition of original materials in Standard English.
Introduction:
In Chapter 15, you examined the impact of unions and government on compensation and benefits policy. In this assignment, you will explore how government laws apply to compensation, and the fairness of compensation practices. You will examine options employees may have when disputing unfair labor and compensation practices.
Read the scenario, and be sure to address all the checklist items and minimum requirements.
Scenario (Gerhart, 2022):
You work at an upscale coffee shop that is part of a nationwide chain of 200 such stores. You started as a barista, but then you moved up. Your title is now store manager. You are expected to work 55 hours per week. Your boss says you need to be in the store to get to know the customers and because, well, you are the manager. It is up to you to make sure everything runs smoothly and that there is a great customer experience, which translates into growth in store sales volume and store profit. By the way, however many hours you work, you get paid for 40 hours only (and no overtime pay) because … that’s right, you are the manager.
However, as you think about how you spend your time at the store, you cannot help but feel that a lot of your time seems to be spent on things that don’t seem much like “management” to you—making coffee drinks, checking supplies, and sometimes cleaning bathrooms. So, this is the life of a manager. It seems a lot like being a barista, except that you work a lot more hours, have more responsibility, and you don’t get paid all that much more. You do spend some time on training other employees and you interview job applicants. But, the district manager is around a lot and she seems to have her own ideas on who to hire most of the time and how to run the store. Plus, there are pretty clear corporate guidelines to be followed on how to run many aspects of the store.
The more you think about it, the more you think that it sure would be nice to get paid for working 55 hours. In fact, you have friends who work in other businesses and when they work over 40 hours in a week, they get [paid] time and a half for the hours beyond 40. That sounds awfully good. If you are going to spend all of your time at work, it would be nice to at least get paid what you deserve for it (pp. 656–657).
Checklist: Write an informative essay addressing these checklist items (PG Writing Center, 2021a).
Analyze whether it is fair for the company to ask you to work 55 hours per week based on how they are paying you. Are you being paid appropriately for your current job role? Why or why not? Cite the specific laws related.
Is this company compliant with FLSA?
Have there been any similar situations in the recent news in which a lawsuit has been filed? Consider other companies in your industry or related industries (e.g., Starbucks, McDonalds, Chipotle, etc.).
As an employee, what options do you have if you feel this is not fair? What do you recommend as your next steps?