Anonymous wrote:Keep records, find a new job, and report their asses to your local labor board.

This.

And this is why nannies should always get a signed contract from the family....among other reasons of course...

I agree with PPs that you should look for another job ASAP - there is no way to know that you will get a good reference if you leave after 6 months, so if they turn out to be jerks and refuse a reference, better to have a shorter gap with no reference. I also agree with the poster that says if you have a contract with your agreed on rate in it, you can sue for breach of contract.

I'm not sure that the DOL can help you - while they do have to pay minimum wage, the value of room and board gets added in. It looks like TN minimum wage is $7.25/hr, so as long as your room/board is worth $2.25/hr they aren't breaking labor laws. If you are working 45 hrs a week, that means your room and board would need to be worth ~100/wk to get to minimum wage, and even in a lower cost of living area, that seems pretty reasonable. Not in any way justifying what your employers are doing, but it sounds like your employers are just lying a$$holes, not breaking any laws (unless you have a contract and then it is contract law, not labor laws).

Wow, I'm angry for you! Yes, start looking for a new job asap, tell employers in the interview why you're looking this soon, and then report then to the bureau of labor!!

*below minimum wage

It is literally illegal for them to pay you minimum wage. Leave and report them.

Why are you still there? Report them.

Did you sign a contract with your salary on it ? (If not, I'm sorry you had to learn this important lesson this way - any reputable employer will be happy to sign one in the future.)

If you did, keep your contract and your paystubs and you should have recourse to sue for breach of contract. Good luck!

Not sure where in Tennessee you are but here is a link to the DOL page listing all of the offices and numbers for Tennessee.

http://www.dol.gov/whd/america2.htm#Tennessee

Can anyone find her the right phone number to report those crooks?

I'm in Tennessee.

What state are you in?

Keep records, find a new job, and report their asses to your local labor board.

I would've left right away. That is literally half your paycheck and most people wouldn't be able to work full-time for half-time pay. Look for another position asap.

The family I work for, told me that I would be earning a starting wage of $10 an hour (without taxes) as a live-in nanny. I thought that the pay was low, however I was wanting to move to a new city, so I took the job anyways.

Well, turns out that they are only paying HALF the amount they told me I was going to earn. I'm earning an sorry wage of $5 an hour! I have never been paid so low in my life.

I wanted to stay with this family for 6 months to at least have them as a reference (I have been with them for 3 months as of right now), but I'm seriously considering just going ahead and looking for a new job.

I feel like the amount they're paying me is just a slap in the face.
Do you think I should look for a new job as a nanny with another family?