Can I Sue For Unpaid Wages in Illinois?

As the economy trudges along, jobs are hard to come by. As a result, a lot of workers put up with illegal employer practices for the sake of maintaining a paying job. This shouldn’t have to be the case thanks to employment law. If you suspect that your employer is withholding wages, you might want to consider contacting a Chicago unpaid wages attorney.

Does your employer owe you wages? You may be able to collect compensation by way of a civil lawsuit. Please give us a call today on 312-220-7000 for your free and confidential consultation.

Wage Theft is a Silent Epidemic in Illinois

Wage theft is something that isn’t apparent for most workers until much later down the line. In addition, employers in Chicago are fond of using dirty and covert tricks in order to not pay you what you deserve. For example, they may misclassify you as an independent contractor so they don’t pay you as a full-fledged employee. In addition, they may spread out your work hours over a period of two weeks in order to avoid paying you overtime.

Illinois Overtime Pay

Overtime pay is supposed to be remunerated at one and a half times the rate of your current hourly pay. This is something most employees aren’t aware of, so it’s possible to unearth years’ worth of back pay when one starts digging. Employers will feign ignorance or state that it’s an honest mistake when they knew exactly what they were doing: cutting costs at your expense.

Don’t let your employer shoot down your claims by stating that you aren’t eligible for overtime because you are inefficient or don’t qualify for it. According to American law, you are entitled to receive pay for every hour worked. On top of that, if you work 40 hours a week, you are definitely eligible for overtime, and it should be at the 1.5 times rate per hour as decreed by labor laws.

An Hour Worked Should Be an Hour Paid

Employers may also try to deduct amounts from your checks for frivolous reasons, or they may withhold wages purposefully; this is something that you should not take lying down and a good reason to get in touch with a good Chicago wage theft attorney. Remember, just because you’re not carrying out official work duties doesn’t mean that your employee doesn’t owe you wages. If you are required, for example, to turn on computers in the morning, fire up the coffee machine, check work emails from home, undergo security checks or attend work-related seminars, you should be getting paid.

If you suspect that your employee is unfairly denying you your wages in Chicago, please get in touch with us for your free and confidential consultation on 312-220-7000. Thanks for choosing us, and we look forward to hearing from you.