Is it legal for an employer to make you pay back register shortages at the end of shift, if 3-4 people use the register throughout the shift?
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Is it legal for an employer to make you pay back register shortages at the end of shift, if 3-4 people use the register throughout the shift?
Asked on March 28, 2013 under Employment Labor Law, Maine
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
If the employer believes you were responsible for the loss, he could ask you to repay it. If you refuse to, he cannot take it out of your paycheck, but he could fire you, assuming you do not have an employment contract protecting your job, since without a contract, you are an employee at will and may be fired at any time, for any reason, even unfair or unsupported ones. (If you have a contract, he may only fire you in a way or at a time which does not violate the contract.) He could also sue you, such as in small claims court, for thhe money, but to recover it, would have to be able to prove in court that you took or lost it.
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