Many workers have faced instances in which they have not been properly paid for their work. In these cases, their employers may have committed wage theft. This violation of wage and hour laws could lead to serious impacts on employees, and those workers may have reason to take legal action in hopes of receiving their due compensation.
New York readers may be interested in this type of situation that took place in another state. Reports indicated that a drywall company had failed to correctly compensate over 470 workers who carried out duties on 26 construction projects. For 290 of those workers, they were only paid a flat, daily rate rather than hourly wages. As a result, they were not compensated for overtime worked. Additionally, other workers were not paid minimum wage and rest breaks were not given.
The Labor Commissioner’s Office had required the company to pay approximately $1.9 million for the violations. Of that, $800,000 is for rest break violations, $692,000 for wage statement issues, $387,000 for unpaid overtime and $14,000 for minimum wage violations. The company will also have to pay $72,000 in civil penalties.
When workers begin to realize that they are not receiving the right compensation for their services, they may wonder what to do. First, they may want to understand that wage theft is against the law, and they have legal options for pursuing their rightful pay. If individuals in New York believe that they have not been correctly paid for their work, they may want to speak with experienced attorneys about their possible courses of action.