Violations in Record-Keeping
An employer can be sued for not paying correctly when their fail to organize and/or maintain time records (wages, working hours, compensations, etc..) accurately. The U.S. Department of Labor requires that all employers do this, and if employers deny their employees their deserving pay, they can face record-keeping violation claims.
WHD (Wage and Hour Division) posters from the U.S. Department of Labor are required to be put up in the workplace to inform employees of all the records that their employer is required to keep. Such records include the hours worked by employee, the total number of hours to be put in by employees per work week, and the hourly pay rate for employees.
How to report wage theft by employer?
When an employee files a wage claim against an employer, then they cannot be terminated by their employer for doing so. But before hiring an employment lawyer or filing a claim or getting the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) involved, it is important for the employee to first try and communicate with their employer regarding the issue. An employer might have miscalculated or made a mistake in their records which could be fixed.
But if an employer does not agree on a solution or even a settlement for the wage theft issue, then the employee should inform the federal agency EEOC regarding the issue by filing a claim. An employee would have a phone interview with an EEOC representative to have the right to file a claim with the EEOC. Contacting the WHD (Wage and Hour Division) with the U.S. Department of Labor is also an option.
What happens if I work and don t get paid?
When an employee sues employer for not paying correctly, then the judicial system allows employees/plaintiffs the right to seek monetary damages that can include interest pay, back pay, punitive and compensatory damages.
Interest/Liquidated Damages: Under state laws, an employee can sue their employer for not paying wages correctly, this goes as well for unpaid wages and the interests charged. Depending on the case, employees could also see liquidated damages instead of interest pay.
- Back Pay Recovery: Employees have the right to recover every cent owed to them by their employer that was not paying correctly either by not paying overtime or by deducting from their paycheck. To try and recover back pay, employees must have proof that they worked a certain total amount of hours at a set pay rate.
- Punitive Damages: Several states require that employers who are not paying correctly must face a penalty. Such penalty is that on top of paying for all other damages, that employers must also pay a financial penalty. For example, in California, employers must pay 30 days of an employee’s wages as a waiting time penalty.
- Compensatory Damages: When an employer is not paying correctly, an employee experiences distress and faces difficult and stressful times. Therefore compensatory damages can be applied to cover the pain and suffering of the employee who was wronged by their employer.
What Can an Employee Do If An Employer Is Not Paying Correctly?
An employee can suspect that their employer is not paying correctly if their paycheck does not seem right. Employees cannot assume that their employer is always right when it comes to paying correctly, most employers end up underpaying their employees either by accident or on purpose. Employees could be getting paid less than the minimum wage or be cheated out of other wages or compensations.
Things to look out for include:
- Ensuring your paycheck is correct. One must take a closer look at their paystubs and make sure it looks like the paystub required.
- Ensuring that your work hours are correct. Make sure that you are not only getting paid for all the hours included in your paystub, but that all the hours you worked are in fact on the paystub.
- Ensuring the pay rate is correct. When an employer promises an employee an hourly rate, then it must be the one used to pay the employee. The pay rate promised must be at least $7.25 per hour, which is the federal minimum wage. It is also possible that the state you are in has a higher minimum wage requirement.
- Ensuring overtime is compensated. According to federal laws, employers must pay their employees time and a half the regular rate for overtime hours. Overtime pay is required if employees work more than 40 hours in a workweek.
- Ensuring that all deductions are correct. An employer is required to pay all state, federal, and local income taxes on their employees’ behalf, along with Medicare and social security taxes. These are deducted from the employees’ pay, but anything else cannot be deducted from their pay. Such as uniform or equipment charges.
Once an employee has determined that their paycheck/pay-stub is incorrect and that their employer is not paying correctly, there are steps they can take:
- Report to Employer and/or Human Resources: An employee should report the mistakes and incorrect pay right away to their boss or to HR. An employer not paying correctly could be a mistake and an issue that could be easily fixed, and the unpaid wages could be paid for right away or on the next check.
- Keep All Records: It is important for an employee to keep note of all the times in which they arrive and leave work, along with all their break times, travel between work sites, and any prep or clean up time. Keep note of the promised rate of pay and total hours worked in a workweek. An employee must keep records to prove if their employer is or is not paying correctly.
- Discuss With Coworkers: If an employer is not paying an employee correctly, it is more likely that they are not the only worker being paid incorrectly. It can be helpful to figure out what other workers are being affected by this issue, and it would most likely get the employer’s attention and provide protection if action is taken as a group.
- Discuss with Boss/Employer, or Human Resources: An employee should approach their employer either individually or in a group about them not paying correctly. They must insist on being paid what they are owed in wages.
- Filing a Claim/Complaint: Employees must file a complaint with the Department of Labor’s Wage & Hour Division if their employer refuses to act or respond to their payment concerns. They must make a complaint concerning the wage theft and not being paid correctly their minimum wage or overtime.
- Contact an Employment Lawyer: An employee has every right to sue employer for not paying correctly and violating state and federal laws on wage and hour. This can be done either individually or in a group of coworkers (class action). These lawsuits can be filed and made easier with the assistance of an employment attorney.