Last Friday, I was hired to work at a frozen yogurt shop. I had a brief interview, and was told i would be trained. I came in the next day and worked for 4 hours. By worked, i mean i did everything the other employees did, such as serve customers, operate the register, cleaned, maintained machinery etc. After that, i went in one other day for only an hour. Yesterday, i was called and told that i "didn't work out" and was left unpaid for those 5 hours. I went in today to try and negotiate with them, and they said that i had been told before i began working that training would not be paid, which i don't remember. No paperwork was done. I only found out by asking other employees (almost all underage) if training was paid, and they said no. It was my understanding that this is illegal. I'm 17. Are laws on underage workers different for this? Can a verbal agreement between an employee and employer circumvent federal law? If not, should i go to the department of labor?

Many thanks michr. I found an office of the us department of labor wages and hours division that i live very close to where i may file my complaint.