Wage & Hour Law

Employers are bound by law to compensate their employees for the work they perform, and they are required to do this on time and in the amount defined in the employment contract. In no circumstances can an employer pay an employee less than minimum wage, or refuse to pay them for overtime work. If you have been treated unfairly by your employer in any manner when it comes to your paycheck, if you feel you have been mistreated in such a way contact The Consumer Lawyers right away.

Overtime

Hourly employees who work more than 40 hours in a week are entitled to 1.5 times their normal pay for their extra hours. For example, if an employee makes $15 an hour, and she works 42 hours in a week, she must be paid $600 for her regular hours, and an additional $45 for the two hours of overtime, which comes out to $22.50 an hour. Except for manual laborers, who must be paid overtime for hours in excess of 10 per day, Florida has no law on overtime for hours worked in a day.

Minimum Wage

The minimum wage in Florida is currently set at $13.00 per hour. It’s not uncommon for unscrupulous employers to find ways to reduce their employees’ pay, by rounding down their hourly work weeks or docking them for making “accidents” or being late when the employee was actually on time.

Performance of Off the Clock Work

If an employer requires that you perform duties “off the clock,” such as dropping off packages or performing maintenance on the building or the workspace, they are breaking the law by not paying you for those hours of labor.

Misclassification of Workers

For various reasons, including saving on insurance or labor costs, employers will unlawfully misclassify employees as independent contractors. An independent contractor is paid for work accomplished, not by the hour. As such, a cheap employer can get away with paying employees less than what they are owed, or even less than minimum wage, if they illegally misclassify that employee as an independent contractor. 

Refusal to Pay or Late Payments

Some employers will use any reasoning or excuse to refuse or delay payment to an employee. No matter what “poor quality” of work your employer claims that you have done, and no matter what your relationship is to your employer, as an employee you have the right to receive your wages on time, no matter what.

The Consumer Lawyers Can Help

Many individuals wonder if it’s even worth bringing a wage and hour claim. Under statute 448.08, the court may award you unpaid wages as well as attorney’s fees, meaning that even if you are only owed a thousand dollars by your employer, it is still worth pursuing. To speak to one of our attorneys about your case, call 1-844-855-9000 to schedule a free consultation today.