Weinberg Law Firm - Dallas Employment Law

National News

Overtime claims and compliance

Wage and hour matters usually manifest when disgruntled employees feel they have not been compensated properly for their work.  Often, wage and hour matters are brought forth by employees who have been terminated, anticipate being terminated, or have just received a bad performance review.  This is especially true when it comes to overtime claims.

Companies should safeguard against possible problems by seeking counsel to properly classify employees as exempt from overtime pay.  Employers often mistakenly characterize workers as independent contractors to avoid payroll taxes, keeping track of hours worked or paying overtime.  Weinberg Law Firm can help properly assess how to classify workers to minimize liability exposure under the federal wage and hour laws.   

If workers are not properly classified, they may have claims for unpaid overtime against the company and individual owners/supervisors.  The employees may also be awarded double (liquidated) damages.  Further, if employees are successful on their claims, federal law mandates the company to pay the employees the cost of their legal fees in bringing a lawsuit.  If the employer’s conduct was willful, employees may seek unpaid overtime for the past three years.  

This is a predicament in which companies do not want to find themselves.  Weinberg
focuses on overtime pay issues, but can handle any wage and hour claim, including those that involve working off the clock, during breaks or lunch, and other violations covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Related listings

  • Stevens denies Blagojevich request for delay

    Stevens denies Blagojevich request for delay

    National News 05/29/2010

    The Supreme Court on Friday refused to delay ousted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's trial on corruption charges, set to begin next week.Justice John Paul Stevens rejected Blagojevich's request without comment. His decision came shortly after the Obam...

  • As immigration fades, Emanuel role under scrutiny

    As immigration fades, Emanuel role under scrutiny

    National News 05/24/2010

    Prospects for an immigration overhaul are fizzling this year and some Democratic lawmakers are focusing blame on the pugnacious Democratic operative who works just down the hall from President Obama.Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff and longti...

  • Starbucks Sued over "Unreasonably" Hot Tea

    Starbucks Sued over "Unreasonably" Hot Tea

    National News 05/17/2010

    Starbucks Corp has been sued by a customer who allegedly suffered second-degree burns after being served tea that was too hot.According to the complaint, the plaintiff Zeynep Inanli was served tea that was "unreasonably hot, in containers which were ...

Does a car or truck accident count as a work injury?

If an employee is injured in a car crash while on the job, they are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. “On the job” injuries are not limited to accidents and injuries that happen inside the workplace, they may also include injuries suffered away from an employee’s place of work while performing a job-related task, such as making a delivery or traveling to a client meeting.

Regular commutes to and from work don’t usually count. If you get into an accident on your way in on a regular workday, it’s probably not considered a work injury for the purposes of workers’ compensation.

If you drive around as part of your job, an injury on the road or loading/unloading accident is likely a work injury. If you don’t typically drive around for work but are required to drive for the benefit of your employer, that would be a work injury in many cases. If you are out of town for work, pretty much any driving would count as work related. For traveling employees, any accidents or injuries that happen on a work trip, even while not technically working, can be considered a work injury. The reason is because you wouldn’t be in that town in the first place, had you not been on a work trip.

Workers’ compensation claims for truck drivers, traveling employees and work-related injuries that occur away from the job site can be challenging and complex. At Krol, Bongiorno & Given, we understand that many families depend on the income of an injured worker, and we are proud of our record protecting the injured and disabled. We have handled well over 30,000 claims for injured workers throughout the state of Illinois.

Business News