Working Off the Clock: Are You Entitled to Overtime Pay?

In 2004, the Department of Labor updated the Fair Labor Standards Act, including the regulations that govern overtime for hourly and salaried workers. But, that wasn’t enough to protect all workers. A tight economy and competitive job market meant that many people were willing to put in extra hours in exchange for job security. But this doesn’t mean that employers were not breaking the law if they did not pay their employees overtime wages.
Now that the economy is improving, workers are fighting for their rights. In 2011, American workers filed 32 percent more lawsuits against their employers than they did in 2008.
Employers may be able to file an unpaid wages lawsuit if:

• You were forced to work “off-the-clock.”
• Your hours were averaged over two workweeks.
• Your employer refused to pay overtime after you worked because you didn’t have “official permission” to work the extra hours.
• You were not paid for breaks lasting between 5 and 20 minutes.
• You were required to attend unpaid meetings or training sessions.
• You performed unpaid take-home work or on-call time.
• You were paid in “comp” time instead of overtime.
• Your employer misunderstood overtime rules and thought you were exempt from overtime pay.
• Your salary was less than $23,600 and you were asked to work more than 40 hours per week.

The Dallas overtime attorneys at the Rasansky law firm represent employees throughout Texas who were denied overtime pay. Our unpaid wage lawyers can help you get the money that you worked for. To discuss your own situation with an unpaid overtime lawyer, contact Rasansky Law Firm at (214) 651-6100.