Asked to sign employment authorization agreement, that allows employer to recoup over $1,000 in "training costs" - 8 months into employment

Hi all.

I want to know if it is in my best interest to sign this agreement. I have been employed here for 8 months now. It includes a termination fee to repay the company for training, if we quit before 1 year employment. The fee is over $1,000, more than half a months pay.

It is for two weeks of training that I never received, plus paying for access to programs that I need for the job. I cannot continue to access these programs after I leave the job either. I was thrown into this position, end up doing additional work because others above me have quit. And my pay rate is the same even though I am doing more work.

I told them my family lawyer would look it over, but I am not planning on signing it. Turnover is high here bc it isn't the best place to work. Bosses are rude, pay isn't good, and they are even passing along fees for finding new client into us, so our goalline for the bonus has just moved up higher- even though we are NOW two employees down. Also, any employee mistakes (ordering the wrong records or paying the wrong cost) are taken out of our bonuses.

I want to know if this is a time to negotiate something. I am doing more than what I was originally hired for, but I do not appreciate this company culture and I feel that I am not being trained to better myself there. So the secondary payment of a job, being able to move up in the next position because of experience/training in the last one, does not apply...

Thanks for your advice.

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Edit:

This is in Missouri.

And this is the part that I am concerned about...

"If I voluntarily resign from [employer] during the one year period of my specialized training required to become a [job position] I agree to repay all costs and expenses incurred by [employer]... I understand and agree that the costs and expenses incurred by [employer] for my specialized training is (over $1,000) and that I will repay this amount.."

Then it explains how they come up with the number, stating two weeks of training at my hourly rate plus cost of access to the programs that we use, which is less than the reimbursement fee. BUT there was zero training, and I have been doing more than the job position that I was hired for, and of course it is higher level work.

Submitted August 25, 2018 at 08:43AM by whatsthisnoise https://ift.tt/2NkaWG6