General Wage Theft

Wage theft is unlawful underpayment or non-payment of salaries owed to employees. Data from studies shows that wage theft is widespread and costs workers billions of dollars a year. This transfer of money from low-wage jobs to corporate owners is unjust and worsens income inequality thereby hurting workers and their families. Wage theft happens most commonly among low-income jobs.

Wage theft also occurs when workers are denied overtime pay, force staff to work off the clock, pay employees less than the minimum wage, make unlawful payroll deductions, misclassify employees, or fail to compensate employees at all. You should keep a close track of your payroll and know what is really being extracted from your paycheck.

You should know how many hours you've served to make sure every hour is recorded on your paycheck. It is also helpful to know your job and overtime pay rights. When you work more than 40 hours a week, make sure you get the proper overtime pay for more than 40 hours if you are qualified for overtime pay.

If you believe you are a victim of wage theft you should submit a report to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, and provide details about work description, salary, hours, and additional information from pay stubs and other payment information. You may also address your case at the state level or bring a private lawsuit against your employer.