Tennessee Injury Lawyer Blog
In Tennessee and all across the country, employees are entitled to the proper wage amounts for their specific job. Unfortunately, many companies and businesses find ways around these wage requirements by misclassifying their employees or keeping improper records of payment. If you or someone you work with feels that your rights to a certain wage have been violated, then you should speak with a Tennessee employment lawyer as soon as possible. They will hear your case and work with you to make sure you get the compensation you are entitled to by law.
According to this case, The U.S. Department of Labor stated on December 14th, 2011, that “35 franchised hotels and motels, including eleven in Middle Tennessee, violated minimum wage, overtime and other labor laws during the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.” The Department also said that those businesses received fines and they owed $14,552 and the agency was able to recover more than $173,000 in wages which were owed to two hundred and eighty-three employees. These business violations included charging employees excessive room and board if they also lived on the property and paying housekeepers by the number of rooms they cleaned. These violations led to these employees receiving less than $7.25 minimum wage. They also only paid employees regular pay or “straight” pay for all the hours they worked, including overtime, and failed to pay for hours that temporary employees worked. Some of the hotels and motels also misclassified their employees as independent contractors which denied them their wage rights according to federal law.
These citations were part of a multi-year enforcement initiative which focused on Tennessee’s hotel and motel industry during which the U.S. Department of Labor found, “found widespread noncompliance with the minimum wage, overtime and record-keeping provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act.” Ten hotels and motels in Nashville were cited and also one in Smyrna.
Wage violation cases happen all across the United States and as seen by this case, even right here in Tennessee. If you or someone you know feels like your employee rights have been violated or you have not been properly paid for the hours you work, then we strongly recommend that you contact one of our caring and experienced Tennessee employment attorneys immediately. We care about our clients and will work with you to make sure you get the compensation that is rightfully yours for the hours that you work. Contact us online or call us at 800.705.2121 to set up a FREE consultation to discuss your legal options.
