
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, March 19, 1990                   TAG: 9003172287
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: E6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Tammy Poole
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COMPANY IN VIOLATION OF LABOR LAWS

Q: I'm a part-time employee at an area store. I began work almost two months ago, but have not gotten paid. At first, I was told that I would be held two weeks behind, which is normal. After a month, I was told it was because I had turned in my paperwork late when I was hired. The last time, my boss didn't know what the problem was, but still no check. Is this legal? - J.L., Roanoke

A: No, it isn't. The company you work for is in violation of Virginia state law, which requires stores to pay salaried employees at least once a month, and hourly employees every two weeks, according to the state Labor and Industry Department in Roanoke.

If you wish to file a complaint, contact the office at 857-7178 for more information.\ Trimming wedding costs

Planning a wedding? Saving a little in every area is better than spending too much on the wedding dress and having to forgo music for the reception. By using a little dollar sense in all aspects of wedding planning, it may be possible to have it all.

Here are some tips for planning a wedding from Wedding Hints & Reminders by Sharon Dlugosch.

Flower costs - Share flower costs if another couple is using the church on the same day. Otherwise, flower arrangements used at the ceremony can be moved to the reception area. When you must choose between flowers for the ceremony or the reception, remember that less time is spent at the ceremony than at the reception.

Guest counts - Try not to order more food than you need. Most establishments prepare for five percent over the guaranteed number. To be on the safe side, ask about this. In order not to pay for more plates than are needed, give a figure five to 10 percent lower than than the actual number of expected guests.

Special services - For catering, bartending or decorative efforts such as ice-carving, try your nearest vocational school. Students or recent graduates may be happy for the opportunity and are often neglected creative resources.

Serving beverages - Make sure the staff doesn't open beverage bottles unnecessarily. They should wait until one bottle is finished before opening another one.

For a free pamphlet entitled, "10 Tips to saving wedding dollars," write to Brighton Publications, P.O. Box 12706, New Brighton, Minn. 55112.

by CNB