Legal Question in Employment Law in Tennessee

Re: Can this legally be done???

In short, yes. If it occurs during your workday, it is just like any other part of your workday. If you are not going to be present for a workday and you want to get paid, you have to use vacation time.

A different situation would arise if the employer was requiring you to attend, but not paying you. In that case, you would argue that this is a part of my normal work time and I should be compensated for it. The principle is exactly the same.

It may help to think of it as a paid day in which you don't have to do your usual work, but in the final analysis, the company is correct to treat it as a regular work day.

Re: Can this legally be done???

What the company has done here is perfectly legal. The company decided that the health of its employees is important. In effect the comapny is assigning attendance at this seminar as your duties for the day. If they require you to attend you cannot refuse to do so any more than you could refuse to do some task assigned which you don't like to do. If I were you I would be grateful that your company cares enough about you to spend its production time to help improve or maintain your health. Many companies don't show that much compassion.