Various federal and New York laws require employers to pay their workers in accordance with certain minimum standards.
For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law require covered employers to pay non-exempt employees who work longer than forty hours in a workweek compensation of at least 1.5 times their regular rate for those additional hours.
The consequences of violating these laws can be severe, and can include awards of back pay, costs, attorney’s fees, injunctive relief, and liquidated damages.
In addition to blatantly violating these requirements (by, for example, failing to pay wages for all hours worked or enhanced wages for overtime), employers often attempt to (and do) unlawfully circumvent these laws by misclassifying their employees as independent contractors, thereby depriving them of critical benefits and protections to which they are entitled.
Finally, federal and state laws prohibit retaliation for exercising one’s rights under the wage and hour laws.
If you believe you have been deprived of payments and benefits to which you are entitled, we can help. We offer representation in the following areas:
- Failure to pay overtime
- Failure to pay minimum wage
- Failure to properly compensate “tipped” employees
- Failure to pay the “spread of hours” premium
- Failure to pay wages
- Failure to pay bonuses and commissions
- Unlawful wage deductions
- Misclassifying workers
- Equal Pay Act violations
If you believe you have not been paid as required by law, please feel free to contact us today for a free phone consultation to discuss your legal rights.
Wage & hour Resources: