Is it legal for a restaurant to make you work training without pay?

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Is it legal for a restaurant to make you work training without pay?

I started working at a restaurant and they told me that I would do a training

shift and that my compensation would be a free meal. I ended up working 2 full shifts for what they called

Asked on March 8, 2016 under Employment Labor Law, Colorado

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 8 years ago | Contributor

No, it is not legal: training time IS work time, and employees must be paid for it. If they will not pay your voluntarily, a good option is to sue in small claims court, acting as your own attorney ("pro se") to save on legal fees. You should be able to recover the hourly wage you should have been paid time the number of hours you worked.


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