The Stockton unpaid hours lawyers at Venardi Zurada LLP are here to help. We are experienced Stockton employment law attorneys who represent workers throughout the Central Valley in fighting back against wage theft. We can assist you in filing a wage claim with state and federal officials, as well as taking direct legal action against your employer in court.
What Are Your Rights When It Comes to Unpaid Wages in Stockton?
California law requires employers to pay their employees for all hours worked. Unless an employee is properly classified as exempt under wage and hour laws, they must be paid at the least the minimum wage for each hour worked. And if an employee’s number of hours worked in a given workday or workweek exceeds a certain threshold, the employer must also pay mandatory overtime.
If your employer fails to pay you the full amount of wages owed, there are a couple of options. You can file a complaint with the California Labor Commissioner’s Office, which can take legal action against the employer on your behalf. You can also file your own civil lawsuit. Under California law, you have three years to file a lawsuit alleging wage and hour law violations. This three-year clock starts to run on the date of the most recent violation. So if your employer has not paid you for several weeks or months, you have until 3 years from the date of the final missed payment to sue.
If successful, an unpaid hours lawsuit can recover not just the back pay you are owed, but also interest, legal fees, and court costs.
One final note: Your employer cannot legally threaten you with retaliation if you file a claim or lawsuit related to unpaid hours. This means you cannot be fired, demoted, reassigned, or otherwise disciplined as punishment for exercising your rights under the law. If your employer does engage in such retaliation, you can bring a separate lawsuit for such violations in addition to your claim for unpaid wages.
Contact Our Stockton Unpaid Hours Lawyers Today
Many Stockton-area workers live paycheck-to-paycheck. So a single missed payment from an employer can impose a substantial financial hardship on a working family struggling just to put food on the table. Fortunately, the law protects all workers against such brazen wage theft.
If your employer has not paid you for any reason, you should not hesitate to speak with a skilled Stockton unpaid hours lawyer as soon as possible. Call Venardi Zurada LLP today at (833) VZ FOR ME to schedule a free confidential consultation.
