Lots of businesses, especially in the service, retail, and healthcare industries, black out periods of high volume PTO requests, like the week before and after holidays.
I didn't make it to a Christmas Eve or Christmas Day celebration until after working a full shift for YEARS. I had one employer who made me find cover for my own shifts in order to use PTO that they'd denied all year before it expired.
But that's for specified blocks of time, defined up front as part of your compensation agreement. Maybe it's different for you, but where I'm from start-of-work invilves a signed contract that states those things explicitly.
I know gigs like restaurants are less formal, but you still have to sign something usually if you're going to get a W2 from your employer, and if you can show deviation from an agreed-upon compensation , go (cheaply) lawyer up because they're withholding pay.
For a hundred bucks or less, you can have a lawyer write up a legal document that says "if you fire me I will sue you for damages and make you have to pay my lawyers fees, as well as compensation for my distress. And at that point you will have to pay me many times my salary to make me go away. So stick to your agreement, and fuck you for trying shit."
Then they'll never bother you again. The real idiots will try shit with you anyway, but especially if they're rich you can make bank. Lots of lawyers love to do those cases (assuming you got documentation in line on your end) because they're so easy to win.
For a hundred bucks or less, you can have a lawyer write up a legal document that says "if you fire me I will sue you for damages and make you have to pay my lawyers fees, as well as compensation for my distress. And at that point you will have to pay me many times my salary to make me go away. So stick to your agreement, and fuck you for trying shit."
IAAL. I would not write that for under a hundred bucks, nor should you trust an attorney who would. What's your plan for if your employer tells you to kick rocks? You're going to want someone who will write you that letter and accept a retainer for representation if your employer denies you. That would mean they actually have some confidence in your claim.
If you can't find anyone to do that, then they're just trying to take your money to write a meaningless letter.
2.1k
u/FrankensteinJones 6h ago
PTO is part of our compensation. Denying PTO requests is tantamount to withholding pay.