Wage Theft – Don’t Be a Victim
unpaid overtime wages from their workforces. The actual losses suffered by workers are almost certainly far greater.
Don’t let wage theft take hard earned dollars out of your pay. The following are several situations that should prompt workers to take a closer look at the legality of the way that they are paid:
Millions of workers in all types of industries are having their wages stolen by employers who fail to comply with federal and state wage and hour laws. The dollar amounts that workers are losing due to these illegal practices are staggering. Even by conservative estimates put out by a business-funded think tank, companies steal $19 billion a year in - You are paid hourly and receive the same “straight time” rate for all hours worked, including hours over 40 per week.
- You are paid a “salary” for all hours worked, but do not have a job that involves management, supervision of other employees or the ability to make important business decisions.
- You are paid a “piece rate” or “day rate” but not time and a half for the hours worked over 40 per week.
- You are required to perform work “off the clock” – before your shift, after your shift or while at home. Unpaid mandatory meetings and training would also fall into this category.
- You are classified as an independent contractor when you are really an employee under the control of an employer. This is a very common scheme to avoid paying legally required overtime and the employer’s share of payroll taxes. It is estimated that more than 3 million workers are misclassified by their employers as independent contractors.