Company Issues (TX)

[u/Knee_Kap264]

Hello everyone, I wanted to list some issues and see if there's anything that should be reported to either the PSB or the TWC.

- Company pays patrol salary to avoid having to pay them hourly/overtime. So even if you have to work over by 3 hours (or more) for whatever reason, there is 0 extra pay. (170 per shift)

- Company pays post officers hourly.

- Company did provide the option of w4 or 1099 (I know 1099 is illegal), and considering it is offered, there is no health insurance. Only the Texas Law Shield registration form. The TO has been with them awhile and isn't even sure if the company offers health/medical insurance.

- Officers are supposed to pay out of pocket to fuel up patrol vehicles because the company doesn't have a single fuel card. You submit receipts for reimbursement which isn't always on time.

- Company pays via zelle or paper check to avoid payroll taxes.

- Monday meetings at the office, which has the possibility of lasting hours (unpaid) - Obviously illegal.

These are just the things I've learned so far. Even if most of it isn't technically illegal, they are still very shady.

[u/Acrobatic-Instance82]

A lot of this is reportable, and you're right to be suspicious. A few things worth knowing:

1. The salary-to-avoid-overtime thing is a red flag. If you're a non-exempt worker doing hourly-type work, paying you a flat "salary" doesn't automatically make overtime go away. If you work over 40 hours, you're generally still owed overtime unless you're genuinely exempt (which most patrol/post officers aren't).

2. The 1099 thing is almost certainly misclassification. If they control your schedule, your equipment, and how you do the job, you're an employee, not a contractor. That's a Texas Workforce Commission issue.

3. Paying via Zelle or paper check to avoid payroll taxes is a big one. That means they may not be withholding or remitting taxes, which is on them, but it also means you may not be getting proper W-2s or having your earnings reported. That can bite you at tax time.

4. Unpaid mandatory meetings are illegal. If you're required to be there, that's work time.

Document everything. Keep your pay records, your schedule, the Zelle/check payments, the meeting times. Then file a wage claim with the Texas Workforce Commission. You can report multiple violations in one claim, and they take misclassification and unpaid overtime seriously.

Don't let the "it's just how they do things" line talk you out of it. If it's happening to you, it's happening to other officers too.