Long Island Wage and Hour Attorneys
Wage and Hour
New York Wage and Hour Lawyers Serving Long Island Employees
From required minimum pay rates to meal breaks, Long Island employees have many wage and hour law protections under federal and state law.
When an employer violates the law, either intentionally or unknowingly, it is critical for the affected employee to ensure that his or her rights are protected. Nobody should ever have to receive less pay than they deserve due to an employer’s failure to abide by overtime pay requirements or minimum wage laws. Further, anyone who has been denied meal periods or has been subject to illegal paycheck deductions deserves to be compensated. One of the dedicated Long Island wage and hour attorneys at Ricotta & Marks, P.C. can assist you with your claim.
How the Fair Labor Standards Act Protects Long Island Employees
Long Island employees have various wage and hour law protections under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Those protections include the following:
- Minimum wage: Employees must be paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, but it is critical for Long Island employees to know that New York law provides greater protections that include a significantly higher minimum wage. The FLSA requires employers to abide by state minimum wage laws.
- Overtime pay: All covered nonexempt employees (exempt employees are, for example, those paid on a salary basis) must be paid overtime pay rates for any hours that are worked beyond the 40-hour workweek. The FLSA requires that employees receive one and one-half the regular rate of pay for each hour worked beyond the 40-hour workweek, but again, New York law provides additional protections for employees.
- Recordkeeping: The FLSA requires employees to keep employee time and pay records, and to post information about the FLSA and employee wage and hour law protections in the workplace.
The FLSA does not require employers to provide a meal period or a rest break for employees, but it does require employers who give a meal period to an employee (and do not pay the employee for that time) to ensure that the employee is not required to complete any work tasks during that period. Otherwise, the employee must be paid for the time.
Queens and Long Island
Labor Employment Lawyers in Queens and Long Island
Advocating on Behalf of
Employees
At Ricotta & Marks, P.C., we represent employees in a broad spectrum of legal matters, including:
Harassment
Employee Discrimination
Wage & Hour Disputes
Education Law
At Ricotta & Marks, P.C., employment law is our sole focus. We have represented teachers facing a broad spectrum of legal issues and we are committed to protecting teachers’ rights. To learn more, please do not hesitate to contact us and schedule a free initial and confidential consultation at our Queens or Long Island offices today.
Wrongful Termination
Sometimes these “Jekyll and Hyde” switches occur because a superior learned something about a subordinate that then caused him or her to have a negative bias, like the employee was of a certain religion or sexual orientation. Sometimes the reason is more obvious, like a bias against people of a certain race, being male or female, a woman becoming pregnant or people with disabilities.
Other Employment Law Issues
Employee Wage and Hour Protections Under New York Labor Law
Long Island employees have more protections under New York Labor Law. These legal protections expand those under the FLSA, and it is important for employees to know that Long Island employers must abide by New York Labor Law when it comes to employee wage and hour rights. Some of those additional protections under New York Labor Law include but are not limited to the following:
- Nassau and Suffolk Counties have a minimum wage of $13.00 per hour; It goes to $14.00 per hour as of December 31, 2020
- Rest day for employees once per calendar week: and
- Employers must provide at least 30 minutes of unpaid meal time if an employee works for at least 6 hours.
New York State law provides additional wage and hour protections for employees on Long Island. If you believe you have not been paid in a timely or fair manner, you should seek advice from an employment law attorney as soon as possible.
Wage and Hour Law Protections Against Retaliation on Long Island
All Long Island employees should know that federal and state wage and hour laws prohibit employer retaliation. To be clear, if you file a wage and hour law claim in order to seek the compensation you are owed, you should never have to face adverse actions from your employer simply because you exercised your rights under the law. Adverse actions that can amount to unlawful retaliation can include but are not limited to:
- Getting assigned a less desirable schedule;
- Being demoted;
- Facing termination;
- Being denied training opportunities;
- Denial of certain benefits;
- Experiencing increased and unexplained oversight;
- Facing harassment;
- Receiving a pay cut; or
- Getting a poor performance review because of the wage and hour law claim.
Contact a Long Island Wage and Hour Lawyer Today
Employees have a wide variety of wage and hour law protections under federal and state law, including rights to be paid a certain amount of minimum wage and to be paid in a timely manner. Long Island employees also have rights to meal periods and rest breaks, as well as a higher minimum wage. Employers must abide by federal and state law when it comes to paying employees. When an employer violates wage and hour laws, our experienced Long Island employment discrimination attorneys can help you to hold the employer accountable.
At Ricotta & Marks, P.C., we have years of experience protecting employees whose rights have been violated. Contact Ricotta & Marks, P.C. online as soon as possible or contact our firm by phone at 347-464-8694 to discuss your options with an experienced New York employment lawyer.