According to the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) of the United States Department of Labor, if the employer refuses to pay what the employee has rightfully earned, the employee has every right to sue for unpaid wages. This also goes for workers who quit their jobs or were laid off and have not been paid for their last days of employment. If one has worked before discontinuing his employment, he has earned his salary and deserves to see it!

Wage theft by employers is costing American workers billions of dollars a year
The Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA has established strict and irrefutable standards for employers. Provides that employees must receive a minimum hourly wage for their work time in accordance with overtime regulations and applicable minimum wage law; failing that, the worker will have the power to claim the unpaid salary. The Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA also establishes a strict policy that employers must pay one and a half times an employee’s normal hourly wage for all of their overtime hours. In cases where the employer fails to pay overtime wages, the employee may be free to receive compensation through a wage and hour claim.

Unpaid Wages Lawyer: Defending Defrauded Workers in the US

The two ways to file wage and hour claims are:

• The first form is filed under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which is the enforcement arm of the Wage and Hour Division. Handles claims on behalf of employees across the US.

• The second alternative is to file a private claim through an Employment Lawyer who has varied experience in complex litigation and procedural law.
Only an experienced Labor Lawyer can establish the valuation of the claim of unpaid wages of the employee; which may consist of the salary she owes, unpaid overtime, interest, fines and other damages.

Extensive wage theft in the United States is a huge problem for hard-pressed workers. Surveys reveal that underpayment of unpaid wages can reduce affected workers’ earnings by 50 percent or more. Mentioned below are some of the common legal problems in the workplace.

• Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: In the US, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits bias in employment on the basis of race, sex, and color; national origin or religion. At first, this law was only intended to address workplace sexual harassment against women. However, 42 USC § 2000e-2 covers the prevention of sex discrimination for both women and men.

• Illegal Termination/Demotion: A situation in which the employee is illegally terminated or demoted to a position below their dignity.

• Workplace Violence: All employees have the right to a quiet work environment. In a situation where violence may occur, the employee should seek legal help to obtain the justice they deserve.

• Pregnancy Discrimination – A situation where a pregnant employee is placed in an environment where she is forced to quit her job or is denied basic comfort during her work hours or is put down by her colleagues.

• Disability or Age Discrimination: Situation in which a person with a disability is discriminated against or an employee is differentiated from their peers based on their age.

• Meal and Rest Break Claims: Time and again it has been reported that employees have been denied their basic rights to adequate meals and rest breaks.

A new report finds that many large corporations operating in the United States have increased their profits by forcing employees to work 24 hours, swindling them out of deserved overtime pay, and engaging in various other practices collectively known as wage theft. A detailed analysis of federal and state court records shows that these corporations have ultimately paid billions of dollars to settle wage theft lawsuits brought by workers. For more details visit: http://wflawfirm.com