Ilyce Glink's Blog

Welcome to Ilyce Glink's blog! Here you'll find Ilyce's latest insights on personal finance advice, real estate advice and consumer issues. Come back often for timely and interesting posts on a wide variety of topics.

What to Do If Your Employer Hasn't Paid You

Nancy called in to ask what she should do. Her employer is behind on wages and then moved her to commission-only but hasn't paid that either. She finally decided to leave and wants to know if she can collect unemployment.

I suggested she contact the Department of Labor (www.dol.gov), which takes a dim view of companies that don't pay employees.

Here's a response from another listener who is a little further down this path:

Dated: 8/10/2008I am further along in the employer did not pay me porblem. just mentioned on your show.

GA dol says if they dont have money your are sol.

i did bar assotion recommendation. lawyer biled me more than it was worth.

on employer not paying taxes to gov. lawyer said gov will do notihing dont bother them they are too busy

sued company in fulton county superior court for back wages and other torts.

company looks at this like it is just more time that they DO NOT HAVE TO PAY. WHEW.

GETTING JUDGEMENT means they still dont have to pay.

company wins.
employee looses.


I suggested Nancy chat with a labor attorney. She may also owe taxes on the wages she did receive if her employer didn't pay those. Does anyone else have any suggestions for her?

Labels: employer, Tax

posted by Ilyce Glink at 12:19 PM 0 comments

Fewer Teens Work This Summer

When I was a teenager I babysat, pet-sat and worked at an Arby's. My favorite summer I was working at a local newspaper during the day and at Arby's at night. What a rush it was to go out and cover a tornado along with the rest of the newsroom staff. I was getting experience for my future career and making some summer spending money.

This summer's teenagers may be having a harder time finding a job than I did.

Fewer teenagers are working this summer. In June, employers hired 683,000 teens, far fewer than the 1.1 million who found jobs a year ago, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.

Since 1998, the number of teens hired in July has fallen 43 percent from June levels. The Labor Department predicts 389,000 will be hired this July, according to Challenger. That means 1.2 million additional teens will have been hired this summer, the smallest gain since 1958.

Apparently employers hired more teens than usual in March and April, according to Challenger. So perhaps they planned ahead.

Summer jobs not only give teens some income but they also teach responsibility, a work ethic and, in some cases, a chance to try out a future career.

Labels: Economy, employer, summer jobs

posted by Melanie G. Rogers at 4:28 PM 0 comments

What's the Best Way to Work While Facing High Gas Prices?

I think gas has increased by at least 70 cents a gallon since I started working this past September. It's certainly not been easy.

I recently thought I could take the commuter train but then real life got in the way. I compared the costs of the train against what I was spending in gas and realized I'd have to buy gas anyway, for the times when I was not at work and I did not anticipate saving that much. In addition, my schedule is such that buying a monthly pass didn't make much sense, if I could only use it half of the time, potentially.

Sure, you save money when you take public transportation, but you find yourself having to follow a more rigid schedule, which may not work for every job. And if you want to do something after work you have to either figure out how to get there via public transportation or do extra planning to drive.

Telecommuting, on the other hand, has been helpful. I work several days a week from home and it's worked out very well. In fact, I find myself starting work even sooner on those days. I drive on average two hours a day to and from work and those two hours add up on my telecommuting days.

That said, here are some data from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas about how companies have responded to higher gas prices:

- 23 percent of respondents' companies offer condensed workweeks, for example, four 10-hour days
- 18 percent of companies subsidize employees' use of public transportation
- 14 percent have expanded telecommuting options
- one in five companies organize employee carpools

Thirty-four percent of companies said that they've had job seekers turn down job offers because of commuting costs. You would think the job applicant would have thought about that before interviewing. (Note: the survey results come from interviews of 100 HR executives.)

Separately, apparently job seekers have lost their enthusiasm for long commutes. In February 37 percent of survey respondents said they wouldn't travel more than 10 miles for a job. Thirty percent said they'd be willing to go 20 miles. Only 15 percent would travel more than 20 miles. This information comes from a SnagAJob.com survey.

My current commute is roughly 15 miles, probably one of the longest I've had. But it's worth it.

If you find yourself trying to make some commuting decisions look at all your options and see what your company offers. If they don't offer telecommuting or carpooling or condensed weeks, it may be worthwhile to ask to get them started.

Labels: auto, Cars, commute, employer, Gas

posted by Melanie G. Rogers at 2:46 PM 0 comments

Is Your Social Security Number Safe?

Labels: consumers union, date of birth, employer, Identity Theft, personal information, Social Security Numbers

posted by Ilyce Glink at 9:39 AM 0 comments

Archives