Employment lawsuits allow professionals to hold organizations accountable for violations of their rights. Those who have experienced harassment or discrimination on the job might file lawsuits.
Wage and hour lawsuits help professionals get the compensation they deserve. Sometimes, employers do not pay bonuses and commissions as outlined in employment contracts. Other times, they may refuse to pay overtime wages or may even manipulate work records to reduce what they ultimately pay their employees.
Federal regulations govern pay and wages. Workers might expect wage theft to be relatively rare. However, according to nationwide data, wage theft is actually a massive, commonplace issue.
Workers lose billions to wage theft
Accurately estimating wage theft is surprisingly difficult. Many workers not receiving the pay they deserve from their employers are unaware of how company policies violate their rights. Therefore, estimated losses are likely far lower than the total economic impact of illegal payroll practices.
According to data gathered between 2017 and 2020, domestic workers in the United States recovered approximately $3 billion of wage theft during those years. That figure does not account for the wage theft that went undiscovered or unaddressed.
Wage theft often affects the workers who earn the least, such as hourly employees in the service sector. White-collar professionals tend to be more aware of their rights and to have more thorough employment contracts. Hourly workers may not even realize that the company has altered the records of their time worked or otherwise violated their rights.
Reviewing employment contracts, recent paychecks and operational concerns with a skilled legal team can help workers determine if they are in a position to take action. A successful wage and hour lawsuit can lead to compensation for unpaid overtime and other forms of wage theft.