As an employee in Lakewood, Ohio, you have legal rights. Both state and federal laws give you the right to receive adequate compensation for hours worked, including overtime pay. If your employer has violated a wage and hour law, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Speak to an Lakewood wage and hour attorney at Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC about a potential claim for more information.
In Ohio, employees are protected by several laws. Ohio’s minimum wage law requires employers to pay workers at least $10.10 per hour as of 2023. This is higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25. If an employee in Ohio receives tips, an employer can pay as little as $5.05 an hour. There are special regulations in place to protect tipped workers, however. An employer must ensure that an employee’s tips plus hourly wage meet the full minimum wage as required by the state.
There are also laws in place regarding overtime pay. Overtime is any amount worked over 40 hours per week. State and federal law requires employers to pay workers an overtime rate of 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for each overtime hour worked. If you make $12 per hour, for instance, your overtime rate must be at least $18. If an employer does not pay a high enough rate for overtime, miscalculates overtime hours or requires employees to work “off the clock,” it is a wage and hour violation.
Failure to pay minimum wage and failure to pay overtime are two of the most common examples of violations in Lakewood. However, an employer could be guilty of many different infringements upon the rights of its workers, either intentional or unintentional. This includes a breach of contract, misclassification of employees, improper time rounding or editing, and unpaid meal and rest breaks. The attorneys at Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC offer legal representation for all of these types of cases.
If you suspect any type of wage or hour violation in your workplace, there are steps you can take to protect your rights. Start by bringing up the subject with your employer to try to come to a solution. Record whom you spoke with and what their reaction was to your complaint. If your employer denies the violation or fails to offer a suitable remedy, file an official complaint. You can contact the Ohio Bureau of Civil Rights and/or the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Obtain documentation of the violation, such as your employment agreement and wage records. Then, contact an attorney to discuss a potential lawsuit against your employer.
Filing a wage and hour claim against your employer in Ohio could result in payment for the wages that you were originally owed by law. You may also be eligible for additional compensation for your trouble or inconvenience, including interest accrued between the time that you did not receive fair pay and when you filed a lawsuit. In some cases, you could also receive reimbursement for your attorney’s fees and litigation costs. It is important to act within two years, however, as this is Ohio’s statute of limitations for employment law cases.
Help is available as a wronged worker in Lakewood or the surrounding area. The legal team of Ohio wage lawyers at Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC has decades of experience handling even the most complicated wage and hour claims in Ohio. We will not back down from an employer who has violated your rights. To find out how we can help you, contact us to request a free case consultation. You can contact us at (216) 912-2221 or send us a message and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
