WASHINGTON D.C — If you worked more than 40 hours in a week and you were refused paid overtime by your employer, you may be able to file an unpaid overtime lawsuit. Your boss or manager may have even told you that “we don’t pay overtime” or “we are not required to pay you overtime” for your job. Many companies simply illegally refuse overtime pay to employees who are entitled these wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). When this happens, you may be able to file an unpaid overtime lawsuit.
Overtime wages are required under the FLSA if you are a “covered” employee. Covered employees include:
- Most type of “blue collar” workers or other manual laborers who perform work involving repetitive operations with their hands, physical skill and energy. Examples would include carpenters, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, iron workers, craftsmen, construction workers, longshoremen, and laborers.
- Most 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
Refusing to pay salaried workers may also be a violation of the overtime pay laws. Many salaried employees are still covered and must be paid overtime based upon their salary and benefits. The same is true for commissioned employees who are often refused overtime pay. Some occupations are “exempt” under the law and overtime pay is not required for those employees. These include professionals, like doctors and lawyers, and other job categories. Employers often misclassify your job description but this is a violation of the FLSA.
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. You an often make your claim for unpaid wages dating two years back from the filing of the lawsuit and continue forward until the case is resolved. In some states, certain laws permit the claims to seek unpaid wages even more than two years in the past.
If your employer refused your overtime time, you should call our attorneys for a Free, No Obligation Case Evaluation to determine if you are a covered employee entitled to overtime wages. 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 unpaid overtime lawsuit attorneys now at (855) 754-2795 to see if you have a claim and to get started on your case today.