What is the law regardig travel time and reimbursement?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What is the law regardig travel time and reimbursement?
I work for the state.They have scheduled a mandatory training for us out of town and are requiring everyone 10 people to travel in a van to this training. We will travel during normal business hours from 8 am to 5 pm and be there for 2 days. They have said that if we take our own vehicles, we will not be reimbursed for our travel. I am aware that during the actual training, we will receive hourly reimbursement. Since we are being required to travel together, and will not have access to our own transportation, are they required to pay us during non-training time? Are they required to pay for our travel if we took our own vehicle? Is it legal to make it mandatory to travel as a group?
Asked on November 28, 2012 under Employment Labor Law, Texas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
1) You do not have to be paid during non-training and non-travel time (e.g. time after training, when you are free to do what you like). You should be paid for travel time that occurs during normal work hours, during normal work days or shifts. (So, if you usually work 8 - 5 M - F, you should be paid for business travel during those hous).
2) An employer is not obligated to reimburse an employee for any travel expenses, including use of the employee's own vehicle; it is voluntary on the part of employers to provide reimbursement.
3) You may be legally require to travel as a group.
Note: 1) above applies to hourly employees; salary employees do not have to receive any compensation over and above their normal weekly salary.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.