An employment lawyer can help you if you worked more than 40 hours a week and were not paid overtime wages. The federal labor laws allow you to file claims against your past and present employer for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for failing to pay overtime pay in many situations. These claims are often pursued by an individual lawsuit for the employee or class action lawsuits for a large number of employees.
Some jobs are “exempt” under the law and overtime pay is not required for those employees. Exempt employees include professionals, like doctors and lawyers, and others including:
- Management employees
- Administrative employees
- Certain restaurant workers, like waitresses
- Outside salesman
- Agricultural workers
- Farm workers
- Taxi drivers
The other set of workers under the law are those who are “covered” under the FLSA. Employers are required to pay these employees overtime pay for more than a 40 hour work week. Covered employees include:
- Many “blue collar” workers or other manual laborers who perform work involving repetitive operations with their hands, physical skill and energy. Examples would different types of tradesman.
- Most company non-management employees
- Most police officers, state troopers, detectives, paramedics, fire fighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and other “first responders.”
- Parole officers, probation officers, and park rangers
- Security guards
- Licensed practical nurses (LPN) and Registered Nurses (RN)
- Certified Nurse Assistants (CNA)
- Hospital employees
- Paralegals, clerical staff, and secretaries
- Warehouse workers and maintenance personnel
- Customer service representatives and call center employees
- Telemarketers
The FLSA and state laws set the overtime rate of pay that employers are required to pay is one and a half times (1.5 times) the regular hourly wage or similarly calculated compensation for a salaried employee who works more than 40 hours in a single workweek. A worker can usually sue for wages dating two years back from the filing of the lawsuit. Some states permit you to seek unpaid wages even beyond two years in the past.
Our labor law attorneys will provide you with a Free, No Obligation Case Evaluation to determine if your employer failed to pay you the required overtime pay. If you were not paid for overtime work, we will file a lawsuit for your back wages and the required amount until the date of the settlement. Unpaid overtime lawsuits often result in significant settlements and compensation to the employee.
We handle these overtime pay cases on a “No Win, No Fee” basis, which means that you pay absolutely no legal fees or expenses unless we win a settlement for you. Call our experienced employment lawyers now at (855) 754-2795 to see if you have a claim and to get started on your case today.