Overtime, Over State Lines? is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column.

Question:

My son works part-time at a shipping/receiving business. He was hired by an outside trucking company to work there. His co-workers who are actual employees of the shipping/receiving business are full-time. They are told that they cannot receive time and a half for overtime because the company is from Tennessee and the contract (not a union contract) was signed under Tennessee rules. The company is in Georgia. (My son is not affected because he is hired from the outside and only gets about 32 hours at most per week.) I’ve never heard of this before. Is that true, or is the employer ripping them off?

—Concerned Parent, Georgia

Bully Bosses originally appeared on Working America's Dear David workplace advice column:

Q.

The managers and directors at my office threaten to fire employees for things that are personal and nonwork-related. I’ve been called stupid and had something thrown at me by my boss. The president of the company travels 99% of the time, so these higher-ups do not have to answer to anyone. I've looked up workplace bullying to find that it does not fall under Title VII, nor is it acknowledged at all. How can employees defend themselves against these threats? Why is bullying not allowed in schools but is allowed in the workplace? What gives managers and directors the right to viciously attack employees? Can you help? Thanks so much.

—Standing Up, Connecticut

An Unaccommodating Situation is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column.

Question:

If you are under doctor direction not to return to a full schedule or work only half- or part-time, can HR say that you either come back full-time or not at all? I had surgery that my doctor said required me to work no more than part-time. The school let me work a part-time schedule though they didn’t let me teach the classes that would have been best for my students. They also lambasted me for it and think I should have come back right away. Now the district policy is full-time or nothing. No partial-time doctor’s notes will be accepted. Can they do this?

"Sniffing" for Chemical-Free is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Who's the Boss? is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question: 

I was on unemployment insurance (UI) for a long time and finally got hired, but only part time (the employer wanted to avoid paying medical benefits for full-time workers). I continued to file UI low earnings reports, but the employer was very slow to report my earnings. It was unclear who my employer actually was, too. Was it the company I worked for or the corporate HR firm it contracted out to?

—Longing for more, Hawaii

My Fair Share is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question:

What can you do about not being paid a fair wage for the work you do? I make a lot of money for the company I work for feeding a robot up to 4,000 packages per hour. How do I get some of the money I make for the company through high production paid to me?

—Marty, Indiana

Passed Over is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column. David knows you deserve to be treated fairly on the job and he’s available to answer your questions, whether it is co-workers making off-handed comments that you should retire or you feel like your job's long hours are causing stress.

Question: 

I have been working for a company for about two years. The company recently acquired another company. There were many layoffs as the companies merged. I was moved over to another department. A director-level position was created in this new department and someone was given the promotion. The rest of us never knew about the position and certainly didn't have a chance to apply for it. The person receiving the promotion has a lot less experience and qualifications for the job. When I confronted his boss about this, he minimized the importance of the role. Is it legal to promote someone into a new position without allowing others to apply, especially if the person who was promoted is less qualified?

—Pamela, Massachusetts

"10 Things to Know About What Happened in Michigan On Thursday" is a cross-post from the Working America Main Street blog. 

1.) The Michigan House and Senate yesterday passed so-called “right to work” bills. “Right to work” laws effectively defund the ability of workers to have a voice at their workplace. In 23 other states, these laws have lowered wages, weakened benefits, raised the poverty rate and led to increased workplace injuries and deaths. The House passed one such bill and the Senate passed two.

"10 Reasons Not to See 'Won't Back Down'" is a cross-post from Working America's Main Street blog. 

The Walden Media film "Won’t Back Down," starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis, opens in theaters today. The film dramatizes a parent fighting to improve her child’s school, but it’s actually a dishonest Hollywood portrayal of the problems in our educational system—funded by the very people who want to privatize and profit from our schools. Here are 10 reasons to skip it:

This is a cross-post from Working America’s Dear David workplace advice column.

Question:

I just started a new job at a major national retailer as a sales associate in the housewares department. I’m grateful for the job, but during orientation, I was instructed to sign a waiver that said I wouldn’t join a union. My manager said that we don’t need unions here because the workers already have everything they need. But I happen to know that there’s a national effort to unionize my company. I don’t think they can require me to sign the release, but no one told me it was optional, and I’m worried that if I refuse to sign it, I’ll be flagged as a liability risk and possibly passed up for advancement opportunities. What do you recommend? See answer at the jump.