New York state leads nation in returned pay for wage theft cases

Workers can face a range of negative repercussions if they do not receive the compensation they are owed for their services. Unfortunately, many people feel afraid to confront their employers over serious issues like wage theft due to potential retaliation, but violating wage and hour laws is illegal. Employers should be held accountable, and employees should understand their legal rights to address such wrongdoing.

It was recently reported that in the state of New York, more than 35,000 individuals received restitution for wage theft in 2018. Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated that the state will not tolerate wage theft and that employers who violate the law will face repercussions. The state has the highest total of returned wages in the country since the governor took office, and that total has reached more than $285 million to over 250,000 workers.

The 35,000 workers who received compensation in 2018 received more than $35 million among them. Still, this wage violation can occur in many forms, such as only allowing workers to collect tips and not providing a supplemental hourly wage. It could also occur in less obvious ways, like not compensating workers for on-the-job travel time.

Though New York state has seen great outcomes from wage theft cases, there is still work to be done. Many violations still occur, and unfortunately, numerous workers may not understand their rights under wage and hour laws. If workers believe that they have not been properly compensated for their hours worked, they may wish to speak with employment law attorneys about their rights and options.

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