The most important things to all employees are wages and benefits. Since there are laws in place to protect employees, when it comes to these, it is important for employees to know what their rights are, as well as the workplace violations they should be aware of.
Wage Theft
When an employee does not receive earned pay, this is called wage theft. No matter if it’s regular pay or overtime, any non-exempt employees that do not receive pay for the hours they have worked can claim wage theft. Exempt employees can also fall victim to wage theft, however, since they do not qualify for overtime, they are usually salaried, therefor less likely to experience missing wages.
Overtime Theft
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires that non-exempt employees be paid 1.5 times their regular pay for any hours worked over their 40-hours in a workweek. While there may be occasions in which your overtime pay was simply miscalculated, be sure to keep track of your overtime hours worked in order to ensure you are being paid appropriately.
Misclassification of Employment
While there are certain professions that are not considered non-exempt, there are many others that are not. Some employers may incorrectly classify an employee as exempt in order to avoid having to pay them for overtime. Be sure to do your research and understand what classification your position qualifies for, exempt or non-exempt.
If you feel that you have been a victim of any of these workplace violations, contact an employment attorney immediately.
The employment attorneys at Maduff & Maduff have been specializing in civil rights, discrimination, and wage and overtime theft for more than 20 years. Contact us for questions or to get started on your claim today.