Workers in New Jersey must be paid at their regular hourly rates for all of the regular hours that they work, excluding overtime. For your overtime hours, your employer must pay you at a rate of one-and-one-half times of your regular hourly rate. If your employer owes you regular or overtime pay, you may recover your unpaid wages, interest and some potential penalties. Contact the attorneys at Swartz Swidler to learn more about your rights.
Minimum wage
Employers in New Jersey must pay their employers a minimum of $8.60 per hour. If your employer has agreed to pay you more than the minimum wage, the employer must pay you the agreed-on rate. When employers do not pay their employers the minimum wage or the agreed-on rates for all of the hours that they have worked, the workers have legal claims against their employers. If you have not been paid, you must file a lawsuit in court or a claim with New Jersey’s Department of Labor.
Overtime
If your employer has not paid you time-and-one-half for all of the hours that you have worked in a workweek beyond 40, you may also pursue a claim against your employer. The attorneys at Swartz Swidler can examine your pay records to determine whether or not you are owed back overtime pay.
Damages
Money that you are able to recover in a wage claim or lawsuit is referred to as damages. There are several types of damages that you may recover in New Jersey.
You will be able to recover your unpaid wages if you are successful in your claim, including any overtime pay that is unpaid. If you received your regular pay for overtime hours, your employer will have to pay you the difference. In New Jersey, you are also able to recover liquidated damages, which are amounts that are established by law. In the state, you are entitled to recover 100 percent of your unpaid wages in liquidated damages. In other words, if your employer failed to pay you $2,000, you would be able to recover the $2,000 in unpaid wages as well as $2,000 in liquidated damages. Finally, if you prevail in your claim against your employer, you might also be able to recover your reasonable legal costs and attorney’s fees.
Get help from the attorneys at Swartz Swidler
If you believe that your employer has failed to pay you what you are owed, it is important for you to get legal help. Contact the attorneys at Swartz Swidler for help with enforcing your rights.
