LOL, they’re lying. Federal law applies to all 50 states, CERTAINLY Maryland, where more laws protecting worker’s rights are on the books on a state level. You can’t be “fired” if you’re a renter–you have to be evicted since you’re technically a commercial tenant, but these abuses are disgustingly common. Tell that “manager” to go ahead and email me the statutes that contradict my information–the ones that supposedly exempt Maryland from the federal laws and distinguish her salon as a sovereign state. I’ll be waiting for it. If she’s going to tell me I’m wrong, she damn well better be ready to prove she’s right.

I recommend not following a template or attempting to draft your own contracts. Each business has different needs. Most of us aren’t lawyers and attempting to function as one (or downloading any generic templatre that doesn’t account for your state’s variations in employment/contract law) is a TERRIBLE idea that will likely end in disaster. I can’t tell you how many salon owners have discovered their self-written or template agreements were unenforceable because they were unlawful or improperly written. Pay the money to have them written by a pro. It is WELL worth it.