As we have previously written, far too many employers pad their profits by wrongly denying employees’ payment for overtime work. Annette Bernhardt, policy co-director of the National Employment Law Project, explained that, “When unscrupulous employers break [overtime] law[s], they’re robbing families of money to put food on the table, they’re robbing communities of spending power and they’re robbing governments of vital tax revenues.” Indeed, the law is clear: if you are an hourly non-exempt employee, you are entitled to time and a half payment for every hour you work beyond 40 hours in a given week. Unfortunately, in these tough times, overtime violations are becoming endemic. For example, Holiday Inn has recently been sued for systematically refusing to pay overtime to hotel maids, while making its maids work in excess of 40 hours a week. AON Insurance recently agreed to pay more than $10 million to redress its violations of overtime law.
enny’s Sandwich in New York recently agreed to pay more than $5 million to its workers, for failing to pay them overtime. Many other employers are also systematically breaking the overtime laws, and they are hoping to get away with it. If your employer makes you work more than 40 hours a week, but fails to pay you time and a half for overtime, your employer may be violating your rights. Please call us to discuss your legal options.