Strongsville Unpaid Meal & Rest Period Lawyer

If you constantly get interrupted by your employer during a meal or rest period or are expected to take an unpaid “working” lunch, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Unpaid meal and rest periods are a common wage and hour violation committed by employers in Strongsville.

At Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC, we can investigate your case to determine if you have grounds to bring a civil claim against your employer. If so, we can help you seek fair financial compensation for an illegally unpaid meal or rest break. Contact us today to begin with a free case consultation.

Why We’re the Right Choice for This Case

• Our Strongsville wage and hour lawyers have over 35 years of experience. We understand how unpaid meal and rest break cases work and know how to win them on our client’s behalf.
• We have a long track record of success. We have recovered millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements and helped tens of thousands of workers throughout Ohio.

• Our lawyers do not back down from a fight. We are willing to go up against any employer who violates the law, including Fortune 500 companies and major corporations.

Unpaid Meal and Rest Periods Is a Common Wage Violation in Strongsville

In Ohio, employers do not have to pay employees for most meal or rest breaks. However, if an employer chooses to offer unpaid breaks, the employer cannot expect employees to work through these breaks without pay. If you did not receive payment for a meal or rest period that you worked through – no matter how little work you performed during this time – this is a wage violation, and you may be entitled to financial compensation for this missing pay.

Employers in Strongsville are bound by federal and state laws to relieve employees of all job duties during unpaid meal and rest periods. Work tasks that you may have to deal with during a meal or rest break include answering phones, greeting customers or checking emails. If a meal or rest period is not a bona fide break, where you are not required or allowed to perform any job-related tasks, the employer is required to pay for the “break” as time worked.

Employers in Ohio do not have to provide employees with meal or rest periods of a certain length. However, federal meal break laws state that if a meal or coffee break is less than 20 minutes long, it must be considered part of the worker’s compensable work hours. Failing to pay an employee for a meal break that lasts less than 20 minutes is against the law. Most meal breaks are at least 30 minutes, in which case the employer is permitted not to pay the worker – as long as it is a real break that is not interrupted by work duties.

Compensation Available for Unpaid Meal and Rest Periods in Strongsville

If your employer violates the law by not paying you for meal and rest breaks that you worked through, you may be eligible for compensation. Enforcing the law and bringing a civil claim against your employer could lead to a settlement or judgment award for the following:

• Backpay for all unpaid wages
• An additional penalty known as “liquidated damages” that can be equal to the backpay award for willful violations of the law
• Attorney’s fees and court costs

Filing a complaint is easier with assistance from an attorney. Your lawyer can take all of the required steps to pursue a complaint against your employer for you, including filing a claim under the Wages and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) or filing a private lawsuit.

Contact Our Strongsville Unpaid Meal and Rest Period Lawyer Today

You have rights as an employee in Strongsville, Ohio. Protect them with help from the legal team at Scott & Winters Law Firm, LLC. Our employment attorneys provide aggressive legal representation to wronged workers across the state. To find out if you are eligible for compensation for unpaid meal and rest periods, contact us online or call (216) 912-2221 for a free case consultation.