One of the more common examples of wage theft has to do with overtime pay. If you are eligible, but not receiving overtime consider filing a claim to recover the wages that you are owed.
Who Is Eligible for Overtime
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the work week at 40 hours. Any time spent working over 40 hours would therefore be eligible for overtime pay. The rate for overtime pay must be at least equal to or greater than one and one half the amount of your hourly wage. For example, if you work 50 hours in one week, you would be eligible for 10 hours of overtime pay. If your salary is $14 and hour, this means that you should be receiving at least $21 per hour for the 10 overtime hours that you worked.
In general, any job that you are paid an hourly wage will qualify for overtime. However, not all jobs are eligible for overtime pay which is why it is important to have your case evaluated by an expert that can help determine your eligibility.
What to Do If You Are Not Being Paid Overtime
If you believe that you should be receiving overtime, but have not been paid there are a few steps that you can take. The first is to speak to the HR department. There is always a chance for a clerical error that could be the cause of the missing payments and hopefully the issue can be resolved quickly.
If that is not the case, you should begin gathering evidence. Starting by keeping track of how the company responds to learning that you are not being paid overtime. Next make sure track all of your time sheets and compare to your pay stubs. You can also start determining a pattern by speaking with your coworkers to see if they have a similar experience. The most important step is to have an expert on your side. Experience with wage theft claims can play a big factor in the success of your case.
To learn more about what to do if you are not being paid overtime, check out what to do for these specific jobs:
