California Wage and Hour Disputes: Unpaid Wages

California wage and hour disputes are, unfortunately, too common. These types of disputes typically arise from issues regarding:

• Unpaid wages
• Overtime issues
• Vacation pay problems

Unpaid wages are among the most common disputes that turn into wage and hour claims in court.

What Are Unpaid Wages?

When your employer owes you money for working but doesn’t pay, you could have an unpaid wage claim. It may be a good idea to talk to a California wage and hour disputes lawyer if you suspect—or know for sure—that you’ve been the victim of a predatory employer that isn’t paying you properly.

Unpaid wages can include:

• Unpaid overtime
• Unpaid commissions
• Unpaid bonuses

If your wages were paid by a check that the bank wouldn’t cover, you weren’t paid for vacation hours you had accrued when you left your job, or your employer didn’t reimburse you for business expenses, you may also have a claim. The same is true if you weren’t paid for sick time you accrued and didn’t use, you weren’t paid at least minimum wage for each hour you worked, or there were unauthorized deductions from your paychecks.

The bottom line: It’s a good idea to talk to a wage and hour dispute lawyer in Glendale if you haven’t received money that your employer owes you.

What Happens if Your Employer Was Shorting Your Paychecks, Withholding Commissions, or Keeping Your Bonuses?

In many cases, employers discovered to have shorted employee paychecks must make up the difference through back pay. Back pay is a sum of money that totals all the money the employer owed the employee over a certain period of time in the past. Sometimes, when a case goes to court or settles out of court, employees who didn’t receive money they were entitled to receive can get damages—financial compensation for what they’ve been through as a result of nonpayment. However, every case is different, and there’s no way to predict how a case will turn out.

Statute of Limitations in California for Back Pay

Ordinarily, there’s a 2-year statute of limitations to recover your back pay. If there was a willful violation on your employer’s part, a 3-year statute of limitations may apply.

What to Do if You Have an Unpaid Wages Problem

First things first: Try to resolve the situation with your employer. Show your employer documentation that proves you were not paid what the employer owed you, such as receipts for business expenses, time cards that don’t match pay stubs, or other types of proof applicable to your job. Make sure you keep copies of everything you share with your employer.

Sometimes it’s all just a misunderstanding and your employer will make it right immediately. If your employer refuses, or doesn’t agree with the proof you’ve submitted, it may be time to get in touch with an attorney.

Current Wage and Hour Disputes in California

Two Amazon fulfillment centers in California are the subject of a lawsuit in which the employees claim that the company’s management team has been rounding clock-in and clock-out times, allegedly costing hourly employees wages they actually earned. The same lawsuit alleges that the company failed to pay employees who were working split shifts an additional hour of pay, which California labor law requires.

Do You Need to Talk to a California Wage and Hour Disputes Lawyer?

If you’ve been shorted wages that your employer owes you, we may be able to help. Call us right away at 818-659-8331 or use our toll-free number (800-774-4163) to get in touch. We’ve helped people all over Glendale and in the surrounding communities recover wages that their employers owed them, and we may be able to do the same for you.