Making sure that you are paid fairly for the work you have done can be difficult as an employee in Lakewood. Your employer may try to take advantage of you, such as by failing to pay you overtime. At Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC, our unpaid overtime attorneys in Elyria can help you pursue a claim to recover financial compensation for unpaid overtime. We are highly experienced wage and hour attorneys who accept clients in Lakewood and throughout Ohio.
Hiring an unpaid overtime attorney in Lakewood can make the legal process ahead easier and less stressful for you. You can allow your lawyer to navigate the confusing laws surrounding an unpaid overtime claim for you, as well as pursue maximum financial compensation on your behalf through all available remedies. Most unpaid overtime cases reach successful settlements. However, if a settlement cannot be achieved, your attorney can take your case to trial in Ohio.
Two main laws guarantee a certain amount of overtime pay to workers in Ohio: Ohio Revised Code Section 4111.03 and the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Both of these laws require employers to pay their workers a rate of one-and-one-half times what they typically make in an hour for each hour worked over 40 hours in one workweek. If an employer fails to pay this amount for all overtime hours worked, it is a tort (wrongdoing) known as unpaid overtime.
To calculate how much overtime pay you lawfully should be receiving from an employer in Lakewood, first understand what time-and-a-half looks like. If you typically work at a rate of $14 per hour, for example, your overtime pay should be $14 (time) + $7 (a half) for a total of $21 per overtime hour worked. Receiving anything less than this, or nothing at all for overtime hours worked, could entitle you to file a claim against your employer.
Employers in Ohio may be guilty of underpaying workers in many ways, including refusing to pay fair overtime wages. An employer may try to take advantage of an employee by asking him or her to work “off the clock,” miscalculate the worker’s overtime wage rate, misclassify an employee as an independent contractor or use the incorrect base rate to pay a tipped employee.
If your paychecks appear to be short on overtime pay, you may be able to sue your employer for financial reimbursement. You may be entitled not only to the overtime wages that you are lawfully owed but also to additional interest and penalties against your employer for being in arrears. Your employer may also be required to pay for your attorney’s fees, lost wages, inconvenience, and more, depending on the case.
If you suspect the tort of unpaid overtime at your place of employment in Lakewood, Ohio, start documenting the issue. Keep copies of your pay slips or pay stubs, as well as any timesheets or other proof of hours worked. Talk to your employer to find out if there has been some type of mistake or clerical error.
If not, and your employer still refuses to give you the overtime wages that you are owed, contact Scott & Winter Law Firm, LLC, for a free case consultation with one of our wage and hour attorneys. Our wage and hour attorneys in Lakewood can help you understand your rights as a worker in Lakewood and take legal action against your employer for failing to pay you overtime. Call us at (216) 446-8886 today.
