Ceo Says My Pay Rate Increase Date Is Different From What He Said Before, After I’ve Already Worked Shifts.

I recently became a Florida licensed paramedic, and I work at a small private ambulance company. In previous meetings discussing working as a medic at the company, instead of as an emt, my boss said that the medic rate is 26/hour, up from the emt rate of 19/hour.

I finished my certification (official qualification) in early January, and became licensed (permitted to professionally work as a medic) at the start of February.

During my company medic orientation, in the period between being certified and licensed, the ALS (advanced life support, in charge of medics) supervisor said he’d see about changing my pay rate. When questioned later, he said he would be unable to change my rate until I am a licensed medic, but when I am, he would change the rates for the shifts during that pay cycle, including the shifts where i was in orientation. I went one full cycle in training, and another cycle where the last day of the pay period I began working as a licensed medic.

When I got licensed, I asked him about it, and he said he wouldn’t be able to change the rates because it was the middle of a pay period. I asked about back pay, he said “probably not”. I said “well I worked a shift as a medic, am I at least getting paid the medic rate for that shift?” He said he’d have to talk to the CEO.

Later that same day, I asked him for an official company letter stating my pay rate will increase to 26/hour beginning the first day that I worked as a medic. He said ok, I have yet to receive this letter after asking him multiple times.

I asked him today how exactly he will back pay me for the medic shift I worked, since it was paid out as 19/hr, will they just add the extra 7/hr in a seperate check, or add it to my upcoming check. He said “The CEO says your official start date with this rate was the start of this pay cycle.” I asked when the ceo is next in, and then told him I will be calling him.

I’m currently on shift, we don’t have any calls at this time so I am sitting back at base. I plan to call the ceo tomorrow and tell him I will not work as a medic, and will return to emt until I am back payed for those days.

My questions are: 1) is anything they’ve done so far legal. It’s been all verbal even now, since I haven’t received the letter yet. 2) will the letter help me at all? 3) what is my legal recourse if they choose not to back pay me?