OCALA OVERTIME ATTORNEY

Overtime abuse occurs most frequently in these industries:

• IT workers
• Service technicians
• Installers
• Sales representatives
• Nurses and healthcare workers
• Tipped employees
• Oil and gas field workers
• Call center workers
• Personal bankers and mortgage brokers
• Retail employees

This list isn’t exhaustive. A worker in any industry who doesn’t meet exemption requirements could grapple with questions about their compensation.

The Fair Labor Standards Act is a federal law governing many aspects of the employer-employee relationship. It covers minimum wage, overtime, exemptions, and several other institutions vital to the protection of employees.

Most FLSA violations are not as obvious as an employer demanding you work more than 40 hours in a week without paying overtime. The majority of Florida wage and hour violations – much like other types of violations – are subtle, to the point that many employees have been deprived of wages for years without ever realizing it.

One of the most common methods of depriving employees of their hard-earned money is misclassification. Misclassifying an employee so they fall under the exempt category can be another way employers try to get out of paying their workers fair wages.

It’s a common misconception that all salaried employees in Florida are exempt, but this is not the case. While bona fide managers, executives, professionals, and administrative workers who exercise independent judgment can be exempt – and therefore can be asked to work more than 40 hours per week without receiving any extra pay or overtime bonus – other workers may still be covered under the FLSA even if they are salaried.

Wage theft is estimated to cost workers a combined $8.6 billion a year, according to a Congressional report last year. This isn’t just bad for employees, it damages working families, and the economy in general.

Wage theft can take a variety of forms, including:

• Failure to pay overtime
• Misclassifying someone as an independent contractor to avoid paying overtime
• Failure to pay at least the minimum wage
• Failure to provide a final payment
• Withholding tips

Wage theft doesn’t stop here, and you might experience a different method of deceit, such as fluctuating overtime. An attorney can help determine if you’ve been wronged.

We’ve accomplished much on behalf of Florida employees who were wronged by their employers. Some of these victories include:

$6.5 Million – Aponte et al. v. Comprehensive Health Management, Inc. – In 2012, the lawyers at Morgan & Morgan helped more than 1,400 benefits consultants at Comprehensive Health Management – a company that provides services for government-sponsored health programs such as Medicaid and Medicare – recover $6.5 million in a lawsuit over unpaid overtime. The suit alleged that Comprehensive Health Management purposely misclassified its consultants as “outside salesmen” who were exempt from the FLSA to avoid paying them overtime.

Additionally, a few of our firm’s more recent recoveries include:

• $9 million for a group of hardware technicians
• $4.75 million for a group of oil and gas inspectors
• $3.5 million for a team of construction managers and superintendents
• $1.1 million for a team of doctors improperly paid by hospital
• $1 million for a group of satellite installers

Our Ocala attorneys understand the struggle that ensues following a wage theft dispute. The ensuing fight can seem daunting, but no one should be forced to work for free, and Florida employers abusing their positions of power and taking advantage of workers through wage and hour violations is unacceptable.

Our team is ready to help. Contact us today for a free, no-risk case evaluation form if you’re prepared to seek justice.