New York and New Jersey have a large concentration of restaurants and the people who work in these establishments deserve to be protected. These workers are often taken advantage of, but that does not mean you should tolerate this behavior.
At Virginia & Ambinder, LLP, we have been helping mistreated restaurant employees for over 20 years. No matter what type of job you hold in a restaurant, you have certain rights that we can help you assert to ensure you are treated fairly. Contact us today to discuss your situation during a free, confidential consultation.
Unpaid Overtime
Our New York City restaurant employee lawyers understand that in the food industry there are many different situations that can cause a wage dispute. For instance, if you work in a restaurant and work over 40 hours in a week; you are entitled to get paid overtime, which is time and a half of your regular hourly wage. Many people falsely assume that long hours in a restaurant are customary, but that does not mean you should be slighted of hard-earned wages for all this time you put into a restaurant's operation and success.
We have helped thousands of employees pursue wage and hour claims who have encountered this exact situation and we have been able to recover these unpaid wages under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state labor laws.
Tips You Have Collected
Additionally, the wait staff are often tipped employees, who are then asked to pool their tips or share tips with a manager. This may also be illegal activity that is slighting you of unpaid wages, especially if your base hourly rate wage is less than minimum wage and you rely on tips to supplement your income. It is important to note that you are not required to share tips with management or other employees who are generally not tipped in their roles. We can investigate these issues and help you take proper legal steps to ensure you are receiving all the monies owed to you for your hard work.
Being Paid in Cash?
Finally, some different eateries choose to pay their employees in cash. While this is not illegal, if you are not being paid at least equal to the minimum wage, you may also have a claim for unpaid wages. Your daily wage total is vital to your livelihood and we want to make sure that bulk cash payments are still fair. Our hardworking attorneys can assess these payment practices to see if corrective action should be taken. In some of these cases, being paid all cash may be a way that your employer is avoiding other obligations such as payroll deductions or other taxes.
Our New York, Wage Dispute Attorneys Are Here to Make Sure You Are Paid Everything You Are Owed
Restaurant workers provide a meaningful and valuable role to our society. Your hard work deserves to be compensated accordingly. When you run into issues, you can rely on us to put our experience, knowledge and tenacity to work for you.
Contact us today if you have questions about the actions of your employer if you work in the restaurant industry. Our office hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. We accept weekend and late-evening appointments by prearrangement. We have offices located in New York City as well as New Jersey, for your convenience. Spanish and Polish language services are available.
