Every year, employees turn to overtime lawyers that specialize in common overtime problems due to their employers’ failure to make overtime payments. Employees have a right to be paid for their work time, guaranteed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). In fiscal year 2005 alone, while the Department of Labor has recovered over $166 million dollars, private unpaid overtime lawyers recovered millions more of unpaid overtime compensation for their clients.
1. Overtime Lawyers Understand the FLSA regulations
The FLSA regulates such mandates as minimum wage, and other statutes as well as overtime laws: employees must be paid overtime at the rate of at least one and a half times their usual pay rate. Although there are exemptions to this federal law, they are few and far between. If you are unsure about your status, overtime lawyers who are familiar with overtime law will be able to help you decide whether or not you should pursue a claim.
Even if it’s unintentional, you are still owed money.
Although some employers intentionally choose not to pay earned overtime, many others fail to pay the proper overtime due to a misunderstanding of the law. Regardless of your employer’s failure to comply, if you worked more than forty hours in a work week, you should consult with an overtime lawyer who knows your local state overtime laws. You may be entitled to recover your unpaid overtime plus penalties, interest, and attorneys’ fees.
2. An Overtime Lawyer Knows if You Qualify for Overtime Pay
Under the new Fair Labor Act issued in August 2004, employees who earn under $23,660.00 per year are automatically entitled to overtime pay. In contrast, highly-paid employees who earn at least $100,000.00 per year and regularly perform one or more exempt duties are not eligible for overtime pay. Those employees who earn between $23,660.00 and $100,000.00 are most often subject to misclassification and lost overtime.
With the help of reliable overtime lawyers, unpaid overtime lawsuits have been successfully filed against AT&T, Racetrac, Wal-Mart, Radio Shack, Starbucks and countless other companies illegally increasing their profits by not paying overtime. Some corporations have been found guilty of illegally withholding overtime compensation by failing to follow the overtime regulations set by the government.
6 Signs You Should Get an Overtime Attorney
Some common signs that you may be due overtime and need to consult with an overtime attorney to get compensation include the following:
- Your boss tells you are not entitled to overtime pay because you are salaried.
- Your employer recently reclassified your overtime status, but your job duties didn’t change.
- Working off the Clock: All hours worked must be compensated, working before clocking in, during lunch, etc.
- You are not paid overtime pay because it was not pre-approved.
- Your employer does not pay you at least time-and-a-half for hours you work over 40 hours in a work week.
- Your employer fails to pay you for all the hours you work.
If your employer has done this to you, purposefully or not, call the Lore Law Firm, which is staffed with overtime lawyers who really know overtime laws. They may be able to help you win your overtime lawsuit, help you get the unpaid compensation that you are due, and prevent your employer from shortchanging anyone else.
Disclaimer: This information has been provided based on hypothetical scenarios and are provided for general informational purposes only, and should not be relied on, or considered as legal advice. Under no circumstances does this informational response create an Attorney-Client relationship. Any Attorney-Client relationship must be entered into via a specific written agreement.
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