Rhode Island General Laws 28-14-3.2. Deductions not authorized
(a) No employer shall deduct or withhold from the payment of wages owed to an employee for the performance of work or other reason set forth in this chapter, any monies not authorized by federal or state law or by court order, without first getting written or electronic approval from the employee. However, a deduction shall never be authorized by an employee or deducted by an employer from an employee’s wage for:
(1) Spoilage or breakage;
(2) Shortages or losses; or
(3) Fines or penalties for tardiness, misconduct, or quitting by an employee without notice.
Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 28-14-3.2
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Employee: means any person suffered or permitted to work by an employer, except that independent contractors or subcontractors shall not be considered employees. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-14-1
- Employer: means any individual, firm, partnership, association, joint stock company, trust, corporation, receiver, or other like officer appointed by a court of this state, and any agent or officer of any of the previously mentioned classes, employing any person in this state. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-14-1
- Wages: means all amounts at which the labor or service rendered is recompensed, whether the amount is fixed or ascertained on a time, task, piece, commission basis, or other method of calculating the amount. See Rhode Island General Laws 28-14-1
(b) In addition to any other penalty or enforcement provision set forth in this chapter, any employer violating the provisions of this section shall be subject to treble damages, payable to the employee, of the amount not authorized to be deducted or withheld.
History of Section.
P.L. 2016, ch. 501, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 119, § 1; P.L. 2017, ch. 313, § 1.