[jcranberry]

By job contracts I believe he's referring to "contract employment" which refers to employment in which you are guaranteed work over some time frame. "At will employment" refers to when you or your employer can terminate your job at any time.

I'm very confident that most people have to a sign a piece of paper listing their pay etc on them before beginning their job.

[Rebelgecko]

I don't think I've ever had to do that. Do you also need to sign off on raises or pay cuts?

[jcranberry]

For contract employment unless the contract stipulates a raise structure or something else which allows them to change your pay, they can't do that without you signing off on it.

For at will employment they can change your pay at any time. You're also free to leave at any time of course.

[bkberry352]

I've never signed a piece of paper with my pay before starting in the us, and I've worked several jobs here. For a few, I've not received a "formal" offer letter, just had discussions with the recruiter.