Legal Question in Employment Law in Michigan

Re: Retroactive Pay

It smells, doesn't it!

Only you can agree to this; if you don't, then don't take the "promotion." Seems to me, that if they want to train you for the new position, that's fine, but then once they have you doing it, they should pay you. It's really a matter of what you agree to. They can't force you to take a promotion that you don't want, but I suspect they can set the terms of the "promotion."

Without knowing the job and other details, though, there is no way to tell whether it is illegal, or simply unethical.