Question:
Do you work in the retail, financial services, security, restaurant and/or high tech industry in California?
Question:
Do you work in an administrative, management, customer/client services, and/or sales position?
Question:
Do you not get paid for overtime work, or not receive meal/rest breaks, or are not reimbursed for certain job-related expenses?
If you answered "Yes" to these questions, there is a good chance you have earned a lot of money you have never seen.
So, why hasn't your employer told you it may owe you money? Hmmmm....
One of the most common payroll violations in California arises from employers' ignorance about when employees are "exempt" from overtime and/or are entitled to other benefits like meal/rest breaks. You may think this only happens to small companies, but you'd be wrong. Many, if not most, Fortune 500 companies have been sued for violations of these wage laws and have, collectively, paid well over a billion dollars to settle these claims. In large part, these settlements are motivated by the fact that it is the employer's burden to show that the kind of work being performed - and not the job title - permits it to deny these workers overtime pay, meal/rest breaks and job expense reimbursement.
Few law firms have prosecuted more of these cases than us, so we've seen just about every claim imaginable. Here are just a few examples of real-life disputes we have successfully litigated:
Employees misclassified as "salaried" employees when, in reality, they primarily perform the same tasks as hourly workers OR work which is closely-supervised by their boss(es). These practices most commonly affect people working as retail and restaurant managers, drivers, financial services representatives, insurance adjusters, and inside salespeople.
Employees not receiving full and uninterrupted 10-minute rest breaks and/or 30-minute meal periods every day.
Employees required to purchase and/or maintain the company's products or use their own equipment or personal items on the job, but without reimbursement. This situation arises most commonly for financial services representatives, technicians, sales agents and so-called "independent contractors."
Hourly employees being forced or pressured to work "off-the-clock."
Companies demanding reimbursement from employees for accidental shortages of money and/or damage to company property.
Believe it or not, unsuspecting workers are cheated out of billions of dollars each year in wages. Don't you want to know if you're one of them? What you're really supposed to get paid shouldn't be a secret any longer.
If you're fed up with not being paid what you're worth, become aware, and discover your legal rights at www.scalaw.com.
Scott Cole & Associates -- Making the Law Work for Workers.™
