• The Fee Is Free Unless You Win®.
  • America's Largest Injury Law Firm™
  • Protecting Families Since 1988
  • 20 Billion+ Won
  • 1,000+ Lawyers Nationwide

Free Case Evaluation

Tell us about your situation so we can get started fighting for you. We tailor each case to meet our clients' needs.
Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. ©2024 Morgan and Morgan, P.A. All rights reserved.
Morgan Brothers Photo

The attorneys featured above are licensed in Florida. For a full list of attorneys in your state please visit our attorney page.

Fort Lauderdale Overtime

Regardless of whether an employee is paid at an hourly or salaried rate, most employees who work more than 40 hours in a workweek are entitled to overtime pay; however, some employers will illegally deny overtime to employees who have rightfully earned these premium wages. Only certain types of workers, such as managerial employees, are exempt from federal overtime requirements. The [overtime attorneys](/practice-areas/labor-and-employment-lawyers/overtime-attorneys/) in Morgan & Morgan’s [Fort Lauderdale office](/office-locations/florida/fort-lauderdale/) have years of experience assisting workers who were denied proper compensation. We are familiar with the deceptive tactics employers may use to avoid paying employees for wages that have been lawfully earned. To find out how our Fort Lauderdale attorneys may be able to help you recover unpaid overtime, please complete our [case review form](/free-case-evaluation/) for a free evaluation of your claim. ## Common Scams: How Employers Deny Overtime Compensation [The Fair Labor Standards Act](http://www.dol.gov/whd/flsa/){:target="_blank"} requires employers to provide most of their workers with overtime pay for any hours worked in excess of 40 in any given workweek. Overtime is generally calculated at one-and-a-half times the employee’s hourly rate. Our overtime lawyers can analyze your employer’s pay practices to determine if your company is engaging in a scheme to wrongfully deny overtime wages. In some cases, employers will deny overtime wages that are legally owed by: **Misclassifying Employees**: For purposes of paying overtime wages, employees are classified into two categories: exempt and non-exempt. Companies are required to pay non-exempt employees overtime wages, while exempt employees are not entitled to overtime compensation. Only employees whose job duties satisfy one of the exemptions to federal overtime requirements are not entitled to overtime. Employers sometimes misclassify workers as exempt to wrongfully deny overtime pay. For example, if your employer has classified you as a managerial employee who is not entitled to overtime, but your job duties are primarily non-managerial in nature, you may be entitled to overtime. Importantly, just because an employee has a “white collar,” salaried position does not mean he or she is exempt from federal overtime requirements. Many employers misclassify workers as exempt from overtime requirements in an illegal attempt to cut costs. If you believe that your employer has wrongfully classified you as an employee who is not entitled to overtime pay, our Fort Lauderdale attorneys can review your job duties and responsibilities to determine whether you are eligible for overtime compensation. **Paying Fluctuating Workweek or “Chinese” Overtime**: An employer can use the fluctuating workweek method (also sometimes referred to as “Chinese” overtime) only if certain criteria are met. To use the fluctuating workweek method of calculating overtime, employees must be paid a fixed weekly salary, even if they work less than 40 hours in a given week. If your employer claims to be paying overtime under the fluctuating workweek method, but is reducing your pay for weeks where you work less than 40 hours, your employer may be violating federal wage and hour laws. **Manipulating Calculation of Hours Worked**: If an employee who is paid on an hourly basis works hours that vary from week to week, the an employer cannot typically average the hours over several weeks to illegally deny overtime. For example, if a worker put in 50 hours in a week and then 30 hours the following week, the employer may not average the hours over two weeks to deny overtime for the week the employee worked 50 hours. **Enforcing Company Policies that Illegally Reduce Hours Worked**: Some employers establish policies specifically crafted to prohibit employees from working more than 40 hours on the clock. Examples of these policies include: * A straight-forward “no overtime” policy * Unpaid lunch breaks * “Off the clock” policies * Failure to pay for training or at-home work * Unpaid bag checks * Failure to pay workers for time spent putting on or taking off safety gear Regardless of whether your company has such policies, if you work more than 40 hours in a given week, you may be entitled to overtime compensation. Our experienced Fort Lauderdale overtime attorneys can review your company’s policies and procedures to determine if they satisfy federal wage and hour law. ## How Can a Fort Lauderdale Lawyer Help Me Recover Unpaid Wages? If an employer does not properly compensate you for all hours worked, an attorney can help you file a claim under the Fair Labor Standards Act to recover unpaid wages. These claims may permit you to recover double the amount of damages you incurred as a result of the wage law violation, attorneys’ fees and related legal costs. If your Fort Lauderdale employer has willfully denied you overtime pay over a long period of time, our attorneys may be able to help you collect three years’ worth of unpaid overtime wages. ## Can My Employer Fire Me for Filing a Claim? It is illegal for your employer to retaliate against you in any way for asserting your workplace rights. Your employer may not terminate or demote you, or reduce your pay or change your job duties simply because you have taken legal action to obtain the compensation to which you are entitled. If your employer retaliates against you, your attorney may be able to file a separate lawsuit seeking compensation for your injuries, as well as an injunction ending the retaliatory action. An injunction is a court order requiring a person or company to do (or cease doing) a specific action. For example, if your employer fires you for filing an overtime lawsuit, your attorney can ask a court to issue an injunction requiring your employer to reinstate you to your prior position. If your employer has neglected or refused to pay you overtime wages, you may have legal recourse. To learn how a Fort Lauderdale overtime attorney may be able to help, fill out our [free case review form](/free-case-evaluation/) today.
Scroll down for more

How it works

It's easy to get started.
The Fee Is Free™. Only pay if we win.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances.

  • Step 1

    Submit
    your claim

    With a free case evaluation, submitting your case is easy with Morgan & Morgan.

  • Step 2

    We take
    action

    Our dedicated team gets to work investigating your claim.

  • Step 3

    We fight
    for you

    If we take on the case, our team fights to get you the results you deserve.

Client success
stories that inspire and drive change

Explore over 55,000 5-star reviews and 800 client testimonials to discover why people trust Morgan & Morgan.

Results may vary depending on your particular facts and legal circumstances. Based on Select nationwide reviews

  • Video thumbnail for 5l3q2e67j8
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for yfe952tcop
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for z1bqwg9hkl
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for s5nb3hnvkv
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for t4elibxene
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for 5nr9efxqj3
    Wistia video play button
  • Video thumbnail for e8s1x6u5jp
    Wistia video play button