Employee says car dealer mistreats janitors

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EAR HARRY: I work for a large new-car dealership in Philly. We have more than 50 employees, a number of whom were hired as janitors and have been assigned to do work they were not hired to do. The owner does not even acknowledge their existence when they greet him with "Good morning." In addition, they have not received pay raises for more than five years, although they have been asking for raises for more than two years. One of them notified the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, but was told it was not the commission's area. Can the boss continue to do these things legally? What can be done?

WHAT HARRY SAYS: My legal eagles have given me much to give back to you. Unless these people have contracts that define what their duties are, anything not completely unreasonable is OK. For example, assigning someone to mow the boss' lawn would be wrong. However, what is the employee to do? Protesting could get him fired. Suing the employer under such circumstances is not a sure win. As to the raises, there is no guarantee of wage increases unless you have a contract, union or individual, which provides for them. Not your situation. In case there is a union of other employees, the janitors may be able to get a better deal by joining them, if possible.