The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is a federal law that dictates how employers throughout the U.S. should compensate their workers. FLSA spells minimum wage and other compensation requirements, such as how to handle overtime work. The Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act addresses many of the same details.
It’s critical that you understand your employment rights and what constitutes a potential violation of them if you’re dealing with a wage and hour dispute.
Know your worker rights
Employees have the right to file wage and hour claims if their employers violate FLSA or any other employment laws, for that matter. Both federal and state laws prohibit Pennsylvania employers from retaliating against their workers for doing so.
What constitutes wage and hour claim retaliation?
Identifying wage and hour retaliation isn’t always easy for employees to do. Any instances in which your employer engages in one of the following activities may qualify as retaliation:
- Demoting you to a lesser job position
- Reducing your work hours
- Terminating you for no reason
- Making unfavorable changes to your work schedule
- Subjecting you to unwarranted disciplinary action
- Delivering unfavorable work evaluations
Your employer must have a valid reason for engaging in the above-referenced actions.
You have options to pursue to recover what you’re due
Employer retaliation following a wage and hour claim is against the law. Victims like you may have the right to pursue additional legal remedies (along with your original claim) when facing workplace retaliation.
Guidance from an experienced employment law attorney can prove invaluable should you and your employer want to try to reach an amicable resolution outside the courtroom. A lawyer can also help you understand how the litigation process may unfold should you need to pursue such an option.