My workplace: is this legal, or is it fraud?

  • Thread starter Thread starter rachelrhyme
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rachelrhyme

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I work in a "UL Listed Central Station" in California. UL Listed means that they have certain requirments that must be met, specifically that two dispatchers must be on duty at all times.
The owner advertises that it is UL Listed, charges for the monitoring, and tells the owners of other companies that pay us to monitor their accounts that we're UL compliant.
For over 6 years most shifts have had one operator, employees are denied raises, and some of us have even been threatened with retaliation when we asked to be UL compliant. Doing the math he saves about $30,000 a year easy by only paying one person $12-$15 an hour to do the work that two people at a hiring rate of $10 each should make. I've checked around, other companies pay to be fully staffed.
The owner also fails to maintain a fully staffed service department which means most systems are never maintained, some even fall out of communication with us and are never checked on.
Is this just unethical, or is it illegal?
 
Unethical, very.
But by the sound of your question, the owner calls the shots and there probably isn't a HR department there.
The bottom line is he is claiming to be UL compliant and he is not. Whether that is actually illegal depends if anyone can prove that the owner has knowingly and intentionally lied to whoever governs the UL compliance.
It sounds to me like this owner knows how to cover his tracks, and controls you employees through fear of retaliation or firing.
The only way to stop what's going on is for as many employees as possible to report the owner to the proper authorities so that an investigation can be launched.
It is illegal for the owner to retaliate against you for such actions, and you and I both know that he will.
If that happens, you can file a lawsuit on those grounds.
I would get everyone together and meet with a lawyer before you go forward with anything, make sure you have some kind of legal council.
Good luck.
 
Denying a raise is just unethical, but there's not much that could be done about that, he could easily say he reviewed the work and a raise was not deserved, and that the employees were not promised a cost of living increase on any specific basis.

As far as stating you are compliant with something, and then not being, it would be illegal.

Although, I guess since you are in CA, the law may be different, but I can't imagine so. . . .
 
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