EMPLOYEES WORKING THROUGH BREAKS AND MEAL TIME: A LOS ANGELES EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY CAN HELP YOU RECOVER YOUR LOST WAGES
Unfortunately it isn’t just in carwashes and coffee shops that workers are being cheated out of their wages. In an effort to minimize expenditures, it is becoming more and more commonplace for companies to scrimp on spending anywhere they can. It starts with missing breaks and meal times. According to Federal and State law, if you work an eight hour shift you are entitled to two 15 minute breaks away from work, and one half hour meal break. When your boss stops allowing these, they must pay you for this time and there are penalties for making you work through them.
Additionally, restaurants and construction jobs are ripe for underpayment. Workers are continually being paid less than the minimum wage, now $8.00 an hour in California, and timesheets are reflecting part-time rather than full-time hours. This is no less than stealing money right out of your pocket.
Further, many of these bosses are especially discriminatory to immigrant workers. Threatened with deportation, employees are too scared to report these illegal tactics to the labor commission for fear of being fired or losing their work visa, or worse deportation. According to whistle-blowing laws, you are protected if you report suspected illegal activity of your employer from being retaliated against in any manner. This means they cannot fire you, deport you, take away your visa, or hold your wages if you report them.
If you are a victim of any of these illegal employment practices, there is hope. The Law Offices of Greenberg & Rudman LLP have experience at winning back these lost wages for workers just like you. Call them today at 1-800-252-9776 for a free consultation in California regarding your legal rights and how one of our experienced employment lawyers may be able to help you.
