KRS § 337.060 Unlawful for employer to withhold wages -- Exceptions -- Specified deductions from wages prohibited.
AI-assisted research summary: Employers generally may not withhold agreed wages from employees, and they may not deduct certain listed losses or charges from wages.
337.060 Unlawful for employer to withhold wages -- Exceptions -- Specified deductions from wages prohibited. (1) No employer shall withhold from any employee any part of the wage agreed upon. This section shall not make it unlawful for an employer to withhold or divert any portion of an employee's wage when the employer is authorized to do so by local, state, or federal law or when a deduction is expressly authorized in writing by the employee to cover insurance premiums, hospital and medical dues, or other deductions not amounting to a rebate or deduction from the standard wage arrived at by collective bargaining or pursuant to wage agreement or statute, nor shall it preclude deductions for union dues where such deductions are authorized by joint wage agreements or collective bargaining contracts negotiated between employers and employees or their representative and meet the requirements of KRS 336.135. However, a collective bargaining agreement entered into, opted in, renewed, or extended on or after January 9, 2017, shall not contain provisions authorizing or requiring the deduction of any portion of an employee's wages without the written consent of the employee. (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) of this section, no employer shall deduct the following from the wages of employees: (a) Fines; (b) Cash shortages in a common money till, cash box or register used by two (2) or more persons; (c) Breakage; (d) Losses due to acceptance by an employee of checks which are subsequently dishonored if such employee is given discretion to accept or reject any check; or (e) Losses due to defective or faulty workmanship, lost or stolen property, damage to property, default of customer credit, or nonpayment for goods or services received by the customer if such losses are not attributable to employee's willful or intentional disregard of employer's interest. Effective:January 9, 2017 History: Amended 2017 Ky. Acts ch. 6, sec. 4, effective January 9, 2017. -- Amended 1984 Ky. Acts ch. 223, sec. 1, effective July 13, 1984. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 74, sec. 1, effective June 17, 1978; and ch. 141, sec. 2, effective June 17, 1978. -- Recodified 1942 Ky. Acts ch. 208, sec. 1, effective October 1, 1942, from Ky. Stat. sec. 1599c-19.