Columbus Wage, Hour & FLSA Lawyer

Workers are the backbone of the Columbus economy, and they deserve fair treatment. Fortunately, federal and state laws mandate a minimum wage, overtime pay, and other important rights. In our experience, however, too many workers are shortchanged by greedy employers who hide their illegal activity, costing employees money they deserve. If you suspect you are not receiving pay for all hours worked, contact Oliver Law Office. Our Columbus wage, hour & FLSA lawyer will assist in any way we can.

Your Legal Rights

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) creates certain minimum requirements for workers around the nation. States can provide more protection and higher pay, if they want, but none can refuse to follow the FLSA.

In Ohio, workers have rights to:

  • Minimum wage. The federal minimum wage is $7.25, but Ohio has chosen to adopt its own minimum. As of 2022, the minimum is $9.30 an hour for nontipped employees. This number will rise to $10.10 in 2023. The state’s minimum applies to companies with gross receipts of at least $371.00 a year—so not all employers, but many of them.
  • Overtime pay. Workers are entitled to 1.5 their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a week. This law also applies to many salaried employees. Only some salaried workers are excluded, so don’t trust your employer who says, “You’re salaried, so you don’t qualify for overtime.”
  • Work breaks. Ohio requires a 30-minute break for workers under the age of 18 but has no required breaks for older workers. If an employer does provide a break under 20 minutes, however, they must pay for it. Workers must also receive compensation for lunch breaks over 20 minutes if they aren’t free to stop working or leave the job.
  • Proper classification. Some employers misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid paying FICA taxes, unemployment insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance. Whether you are an independent contractor depends on the facts of your job, not whether your employer labels you a contractor. You can be denied important benefits when an employer deliberately misclassified you.

If you believe you are not being paid for work, you should contact our law firm. We can submit a wage and hour complaint to the appropriate state or federal office or file a lawsuit on your behalf.

Remedies for a wage and hour violation include:

  • Backpay. This represents the wages you should have been paid.
  • Liquidated damages. You can receive double your wages in the form of “liquidated damages.” These serve to penalize your employer for violating your rights.
  • Attorneys’ fees and court costs. You might file a lawsuit in court, in which case you can request attorneys’ fees to cover the costs.

Don’t Let an Employer Run All Over You

Few workers fully understand their rights. This article has touched on only some of the most important, but there are many others. If something seems fishy at work, contact the Oliver Law Office to discuss in depth what is happening. Your employer could be denying you the pay you deserve. Our Columbus wage & hour and FLSA attorney is standing by.