If are a warehouse employee and your employer is not paying the amount you agreed upon when hired, you may be victim to wage theft. You may be able to file a claim to recover your lost wages as well as other damages.
Wage theft is illegal under both federal law as well as many state laws. Your employer may not be able pay you lower than the agree upon amount.
How to Read Your Paycheck
The most important, yet often the least scrutinized document issued to employees is the employee paycheck stub.
As a warehouse worker, you most likely receive an hourly wage, with overtime paid after you work a certain number of hours.
Some warehouse employees work in management, which can mean receiving a salary that pays the same amount each pay period.
For all compensation models, warehouse employees should know the authorized and voluntary expenses that employers take out of each paycheck.
Here are examples of legally authorized payroll deductions:
- All taxes, including Medicare and Social Security
- Alimony
- Child support
- Wage garnishments
- Employer debts
- Government debts
You also can agree to voluntary paycheck deductions:
- Union dues
- Health insurance premiums
- Retirement account contributions
- Contributions to a charity
Employer Required Purchases
Some employers require workers to make purchases for certain items. Many of the purchases concern employee uniforms.
You might have to pay for a name tag, certified safe work shoes, missing inventory, and/or paycheck cashing fees.
Any expense required by an employer must be put in writing, as well as have you sign off on paying the expense.
When it comes to paying for missing inventory, make sure to check with your union representative to determine if the required payroll deduction follows the contract signed by the union and your employer.
Common Payroll Issues for Warehouse Employees
Federal law mandates employers to pay a minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. However, several states and cities such as San Francisco have raised the minimum wage for workers several dollars higher than what the feds mandate.
As a warehouse employee, you should receive more than the federally mandated minimum wage, but sometimes, employers either make errors or purposely withhold wages to put workers under the federal minimum manage threshold.
Not Paying Overtime
Warehouse employees work in a highly cyclical industry. For instance, many warehouse workers put in overtime during the busy winter holiday season.
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to compensate employees time and half wages for every hour put in over 40 hours per week.
Some employers cut financial corners by withholding overtime pay to deserving employees. If your employer has withheld your hard-earned overtime pay, then you need to know how to address the issue.
First Human Resources, Then an Employment Lawyer
You can discuss the missing overtime pay with your immediate supervisor, but he or she does not carry the level of clout that is carried by the company human resources manager.
Request a meeting with the human resources manager, and make sure you come to the meeting with the documentation needed to make your case.
If you and the human resources manager cannot reach a satisfactory resolution to your underpaid wage claim, the next step is to contact an experienced employment law attorney.
Your lawyer will conduct a thorough review of your claim to determine the best course of legal action.
He or she might contact your employer to resolve the issue and if that does not work, then file a claim in civil court seeking back pay and monetary damages.
Schedule a free case evaluation if your employer refuses to pay what you deserve.
Most employment law attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means they do not get paid until their clients receive back wages.
