Many workers are victims of their employer’s refusal to pay them overtime pay or minimum wages. Employers’ illegal conduct comes in many forms – through misclassifying employees as exempt, forcing employees to work through unpaid breaks, forcing employees to work off-the-clock, or by illegally rounding the punch times. Whether the employer is violating the law willfully, or not, workers can find strength in numbers.
Class and collective actions allow a worker to bring a complaint for unpaid wages before a court on behalf of him or herself and all other employees who are similarly victims of an employer’s violation of wage and hour laws. In a class or collective action, the worker can obtain fair compensation for all his or her co-workers. The experienced class action attorneys at Hawks Quindel can help you and your co-workers protect your rights to a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
Class actions lower the costs of litigation
Workers who have lower value wage claims may have difficulty finding an attorney to represent them even though their employer has failed to pay them thousands of dollars. The cost of taking a case to court is sometimes very high. However, when many workers have been the victim of the same illegal practice, the case is more attractive to experienced attorneys who are willing to take that case on a contingent fee basis. The class action attorneys at Hawks Quindel will talk with you about your minimum wage or overtime claim for free.
Class actions lower the risks of retaliation
Employees, especially those in lower wage jobs, feel that if they bring up their wage concerns to their employer, they will be disciplined, harassed, or even fired. However, collective and class actions allow employees to bring their wage complaints forward as a group where there is strength in numbers. When more than one employee comes forward with the same concern, they are more comfortable because employers simply cannot fire or discipline all their employees.
Class actions force employer to follow the law
When many workers come together to address their employer’s failure to pay them, the cost of violating the law increases. An individual lawsuit, because of the lower value of the claim, may not be a sufficient incentive to force an employer to change its way of doing business. However, when employees work together, they increase the pressure on their employer and can force the employer to follow the law in the future.
If you believe your employer is violating you and your co-workers’ right to overtime pay or minimum wage, you can take action together to recover the pay you are deserved. Contact the attorneys at Hawks Quindel, S.C. who will evaluate your unpaid wage claim free of charge and work on your claim for overtime or minimum wages on a contingent basis. This means you will pay nothing unless we win. We can be reached at 414-271-8650.