my employer mandates us to stay late and cover open shifts, they are trying to now make us come in early to cover shifts, can they do that? ...

Question

my employer mandates us to stay late and cover open shifts, they are trying to now make us come in early to cover shifts, can they do that? we are not an on-call facility, and if we dont answer our phones or come in early we face punishment

Answer

If you are an "exempt" employee (salary vs. hourly) you may be stuck. Better to have a sucky job than none? If you are "non-exempt" (hourly) then you are entitled potentially entitled to overtime. It may depend on your job description and whether your position is customarily exempt or non-exempt. Without more, little can be said.