Many Elon students are not only returning to classes this semester, but also returning to work. After a long summer, student employees can expect a refresher training session at their respective on campus jobs. Elon tour guides not only have one of the longest training sessions (16 hours over 2 days), but that time will also be unpaid. According to North Carolina and federal labor laws, this requirement set by the Office of Admissions is illegal.
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The employees were sent an email stating that all university guides, old and new, would be required to attend a 16 hours of training sessions over the course of two days during the last weekend of August. The email also explicitly states that this time will be unpaid.
Describing the training sessinos, Vice President of Admissions and Financial Planning, Greg Zaiser, said, "[They are] a pretty comprehensive two-day experience. And it's required for students unless they're studying abroad, because training is so important even if you've been a guide for several semesters. You have to make sure that you attend and are apprised of what's going on."
The North Carolina Department of Labor requires that all employee training sessions be considered hours worked unless all four of the following requirements are met:
The training session planned by the office of admissions does not meet any of these four requirements; making it illegal for employees to not be compensated for those 16 hours.
Section S785.28 of the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations also goes on to say: "if the employee is given to understand or led to believe that his present working conditions or the continuance of his employment would be adversely affected by nonattendance".
That email sent to guides warned employees that if they fail to attend, they could face termination.
It stated "It is mandatory to work and if you cannot work training, you will not be working this fall."
When asked about the situation, Zaiser said he was unaware of these legal issues and said that anything out of compliance would be investigated and properly dealt with.
"I was not aware of that but typically speaking something that is brought to my attention I would explore with the coordinators of the event." Zaiser said.
There has been no update on changes being made to the training, but Zaiser was confident that the training will not be canceled. If the training sessions continue as planned and unpaid, the university could face both federal and state charges. If adjustments are made before the training occurs, the office of admissions will be clear of any potential violations. ElonLocalNews.com will be updated as this story develops.