Very few of us work for the fun if – you go to work because you need to earn a living to support yourself or your family. A dispute over your wages or working hours can quickly become a very complex matter, and being paid less than you believe you’re entitled to is never welcome. Any situation which can be considered to compromise your rights as an employee may benefit from the expertise of an outstanding wage and hour dispute attorney, dedicated to making sure you don’t lose out when your employment rights have been violated.
Misclassifying employees as independent contractors is just one of the wage and hour disputes we see regularly as Los Angeles wage and hour dispute attorneys, with the recent case relating to Los Angeles and Long Beach truck drivers providing the perfect example.
Bankrupt trucking firm, QTS Inc., found itself at the center of an employment rights lawsuit recently, as a number of drivers claimed they had been misclassified as independent contractors rather than employees, thus missing out on additional pay and benefits. By classifying drivers in this way, the company could avoid taxes and the costs for truck maintenance, gas and insurance would be the drivers’ responsibility, instead of being paid by QTS Inc. The drivers involved in the claim believe that this was done deliberately.
When the case is heard next month, the trucking firm could be forced to compensate around 400 drivers, should a settlement be awarded. It is alleged that most of the drivers involved are Korean-Americans and Latino immigrants. These truckers claim that they have missed out on the true wages they should have been paid, receiving just a few hundred dollars for working up to 80 hours a week. Under California law and the Fair Labor Standards Act, a minimum wage of $7.25 should be paid to employees, with certain exceptions. As the drivers were apparently told how much they were getting paid, what loads they were to haul and who they were accepting these loads from, they believe they were, in effect, employees of QTS Inc.
When it comes to something as important as your job, your rights and your pay, don’t take your chances when choosing an attorney to represent you. You need, and deserve, the specialized skills of a dedicated Los Angeles employment attorney to deal with your wage and hour dispute.
Labour law can be a very complex field, with possible wage and hour disputes including unpaid overtime or commission misclassified employment status as seen with QTS Inc., vacation pay disputes or disagreements, equal pay disputes and denial of unemployment claims. The complexity really becomes evident when your wage and hour dispute involves more than one of these issues.
If you’re looking for a resolution to your wage and hour dispute, contact us on 310-981-3404 to schedule a consultation with a Los Angeles attorney experienced in defending workers just like you.