You should never forget that there are significant penalties for employers who do not pay wages that their employees legally earn. Employees are not always familiar with the penalties that they may recover when they win an unpaid wage case.

Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC wants to make you aware of the serious repercussions employers may face for not paying earned wages. This information can empower you in the event of a wage claim or dispute with your employer.

Most Significant Penalties for Employers Who Do Not Pay Wages Earned

Employers face significant penalties if they willfully fail to pay employees’ earned wages. Both federal and state wage laws provide for these penalties.

The most important unpaid wage legislation is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Congress ratified and signed it into law in 1938. Congress has revised the FLSA several times, but it remains basically the same. The FLSA’s purpose is to protect workers from paycheck fraud, unpaid or underpaid work, and unreasonable work hours.

The penalties that employees can recover under the FLSA for unpaid wages include back wages, liquidated damages which double the unpaid wages, interest on the wages, and attorney’s fees and costs for bringing the case. Thus, it is possible for employees to recover monies in addition to their unpaid wages.

The Wage and Hours Division (WHD) of the U.S. Department of Labor has the duty to enforce FLSA. The WHD can bring wage claims on behalf of employees and assess penalties against employers. Most employees though do not proceed with the WHD because it is slower and likely recovers less than a wage claim through an employment attorney.

Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC represents employees in states throughout the United States including those in California, where there are additional penalties available to employees who suffer unpaid wages. These additional penalties include waiting for time penalties which can equal 15 days of wages and set money penalties which can be a $100 penalty for the first late wage payment and $200 for each subsequent late payment.

Would you like to learn more about how to handle late wage payments? Check out this post from Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC on dealing with late and unpaid wages in the workplace.

How to Pursue Justice For Unpaid Wages

Not receiving all the money you’ve rightfully earned is incredibly frustrating and can create real money hardship given the inflation rate today. Whenever you suffer unpaid wages, you should remain focused, gather all the facts, and present them to your employer if you feel comfortable doing so. If that doesn’t work or you feel uncomfortable, you may want to consider notifying should consult an employment attorney to determine if you have an unpaid wages case.

You should do at least these things when you meet with an attorney about lost wages.

• Construct a timeline detailing everything that led to lost wages. This should include the total number of hours you believe are unpaid.
• Determine if this may have resulted from retaliation. Were there any complaints that could have led the employer to willfully miscalculate your hours?
• Locate any fellow coworkers or witnesses who can corroborate your claim.
• Gather all relevant documentation. This would include pay stubs, time entries, and emails/texts about your unpaid work time.

The organization is the key to having a chance at fighting and regaining lost wages. These are the tools your employment lawyer will use to go to work on your behalf (in court if necessary).

Call Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC to Help Regain Lost Wages

Since it costs nothing to obtain a free consultation with Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC, it never hurts to get a second opinion on potentially lost income. We serve clients from all over the country who experience problems like lost overtime or other unpaid wages.

Employers are well aware of the penalties and repercussions they face for failing to fulfill their obligations to employees. You should know them as well.

Since you now understand the penalties for employers who do not pay wages earned, call us today if you have a dispute over lost pay.