Daytona Beach Wage & Hour Lawyer
Employees have rights under state and federal law in terms of being paid lawful wages. To be clear, employees have the right to be paid for hours worked, to be paid appropriately for overtime hours, and to be paid in a timely manner. The primary law that establishes rights for workers is the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), but there are additional laws that protect workers when wage and hour laws have been violated. Employers are also prohibited from retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under state or federal law.
If you have questions about a wage and hour violation, you should get in touch with a Daytona Beach wage and hour lawyer as soon as possible.
Common Daytona Beach Wage and Hour Violations
Wage and hour violations are more common in the workplace than you might think. At The Pendas Law Firm, we handle a range of wage and hour violation claims, including but not limited to the following:
- Failure to pay minimum wage;
- Failure to pay overtime;
- Withholding a paycheck, or failure to pay wages in a timely manner;
- Unlawful deductions from a paycheck;
- Failure to pay wages during a meal break that is not a “bona fide meal period”;
- Failure to pay wages for short breaks;
- Bonuses or commissions not paid in a reasonable timeframe;
- Failure to grant a required meal period to employees under the age of 18; and
- Retaliating against employees who exercise their rights under wage and hour laws by demoting, terminating, or failure to promote the employee, or engaging in any other type of retaliatory behavior.
While Florida law does not require that all workers receive a meal break, employees under the age of 18 are required to have a break of at least 30 minutes whenever that employee works for four continuous hours. While no meal period is required for other employees, it is extremely important for employers to understand that, if they do provide a meal period during which time employees are not paid wages, it must be a “bona fide meal period.” This means that employees cannot be required to perform any work tasks during the period, or else they may be eligible to file a claim.
Paying Lawful Wages in Daytona Beach
Under Florida law, non-exempt employees must be paid at least a minimum wage of $8.46 per hour. Although the federal minimum wage is only $7.25 per hour, employers in Daytona Beach do not have the option of paying the lower federal minimum wage. Instead, they must pay at least the Florida minimum wage of $8.46 per hour. Accordingly, under the FLSA, whenever a non-exempt employee works overtime hours—more than 40 hours in a workweek—that employee must receive time-and-a-half. If the employee is paid the minimum wage, then that employee must receive $12.69 per hour for each overtime hour worked.
While employers are permitted to make certain types of deductions from employee paychecks (such as for uniforms in some work situations), the deductions cannot bring the employee’s minimum wage below $8.46 per hour.
Learn More By Contacting a Daytona Beach Wage and Hour Lawyer
Do you have questions about Florida wage and hour law violations? An aggressive Daytona Beach wage and hour lawyer can assist you. Contact The Pendas Law Firm to learn more.