Unpaid meal and rest periods may be a wage or labor law violation in Lakewood, Ohio. There are state and federal laws that require an employer to pay employees for certain breaks, including meal breaks where you had to work. If you believe your employer is not paying you correctly for meal and rest periods, contact Scott & Winters Law Firm for a free case consultation. You may be able to collect financial compensation for lost wages.
A Lakewood unpaid meal and rest period attorney can help you demand honest pay for an honest day’s work. Your attorney can help you go up against an employer, including a major corporation or a Fortune 500 company, in pursuit of fair compensation for your hours worked. A lawyer can explain your rights under state and federal wage laws, search for evidence to prove your unpaid meal and rest break claim, and take care of confusing legal paperwork and processes for you. Hiring a Lakewood wage and hour attorney improves your chances of obtaining the compensation to which you are entitled by law.
Workers in Ohio are not entitled to receive paid meal or rest periods. State and federal laws leave paid breaks up to the discretion of employers. Any break that is taken that lasts for less than 20 minutes, however, must be compensated as part of the employee’s normal work day. It is against the law for an employer to dock a worker’s pay for a rest break that lasts for 20 minutes or less, including a brief meal period or bathroom break.
If an employer offers a meal or rest break that lasts longer than 30 minutes (unpaid), the employer may not interrupt this break period. If the meal or rest break is interrupted by the employer or the employee is required to work during the break, it must then be paid. It is a labor law violation not to pay an employee for work done during a designated break. Workers in Ohio are entitled to 30 uninterrupted minutes if they are required to clock out for a meal break.
If you were required to work during a designated rest or meal period, even for a short time, look for this as time worked on your paycheck. The 30-minute break should be compensated at the same rate as your other hours worked, even if you do not normally receive pay for a meal or hour break. Your employer gave up the right not to pay you when he or she interrupted the break and asked you to work.
The rest and meal break rule entitles you to pay if you had to cover the phones, wait for lunchtime deliveries or eat your lunch on the go while you worked. If you were working in any capacity, you are entitled to be paid for the break period. Your paychecks should also reflect compensation for any break you took that did not exceed 20 minutes. It is against the law for an employer in Ohio to dock a worker’s pay for these brief breaks.
If you have reason to suspect that you are being underpaid by your employer in Lakewood, Ohio, consult with a Lakewood unpaid meal and rest period attorney about a potential wage and hour claim. Filing a claim against your employer could end with the company reimbursing you for wages that you should have received originally. This may include compensation in the form of back pay, plus interest and penalties. While most wage and hour violation cases reach settlements, an Augusta unpaid meal and rest period attorney can take your case to trial if this is necessary to secure fair financial compensation.
You do not have to tolerate being underpaid by an employer in Ohio. Contact Scott & Winters Law Firm to speak to an attorney in Lakewood about a potential unpaid meal and rest break claim. We will assess your case, examine recent paychecks and time cards, and help you understand your legal rights if you are a victim of a wage violation under state or federal law. Call (216) 912-2221 today to learn more during a free case consultation with one of our attorneys. We are standing by to help.
