Generally, employers cannot require that employees participate in job training without pay. CVS recently learned this lesson in the case of St. Pierre, et al. v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 13-13202-TSH (D. Mass. Sept. 18, 2017) (Hillman, J.). CVS Pharmacy required all pharmacy technicians to regularly complete mandatory training courses through an online “learning management system” called LEARNet without pay. The Federal District Court in Massachusetts held that this was unlawful and entered judgment in favor of the employees.

If you have been required to perform unpaid job training, do not sign a release without talking with an attorney, and feel free to reach out to us for a free consultation.