Can I sue for underpaid work?
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Can I sue for underpaid work?
I work for a landscaping comapny that cuts the side of the highways. The company has no benefits no employee insurance. The company pays by the mile. So some weeks I bring home $150 for 48 hours because the mile hasn’t got completed due to employees not showing or leaving early. Sometimes we do residential properties and we don’t get compensated for the work. We have no
safety gear, no gloves, no safety glasses, no safety meetings and no water on the truck. Is this legalto pay labor workers by the mile? We don’t even make enough to pay for insurance. We are
doing full-time work for less than minimum wage.
Asked on November 27, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Georgia
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
Yes, you can file a complaint with the department of labor or sue: you must be paid at least minimum wage (and overtime, when working more than 40 hours in a week), which you clearly are not being paid. (Note: they don't have to provide benefits or insurance, though--that is voluntary for employers to provide.) You may be talking about a great deal of money, if you have been working for months at substantially under minimum wage and sometime woriing overtime, too. It would be worthwhile for you to consult with an employment law attorney--this may be a case worth enough to justify the cost of a lawyer, to maximize what you get back. Good luck.
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