Dedicated Alabama Attorneys Handle Wage and Overtime Conflicts

Birmingham lawyers help workers secure the compensation they’ve earned

The idea that employees should receive full, fair compensation for the time they’ve worked seems obvious, but some businesses try to evade their responsibility under the law. Small and large companies violate rules related to overtime pay, family leave and minimum wage, depriving workers of the pay and benefits that they’ve earned. At Sanford Law Firm in Birmingham, we are experienced employment lawyers who stand up for individuals in a wide array of wage and benefit actions, including disputes concerning overtime pay. If you’re being shortchanged, don’t let a bad situation get worse. We’ll work promptly to help secure the compensation you deserve.

Knowledgeable advisers outline the rules governing time-and-a-half pay

Alabama uses federal standards on the minimum wage and eligibility for overtime pay. Nonexempt employees must receive premium pay (time and a half) for any time they work in a week that exceeds 40 hours. If you believe you are entitled to overtime but haven’t been compensated accordingly, we’ll investigate your case thoroughly and explain relevant legal issues, such as:

• Exempt workers — The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) allows businesses to avoid paying the overtime premium to highly compensated employees and workers in certain types of positions. Some commissioned salespeople, seasonal employees, agricultural workers and administrative personnel might not be able to get time and a half. Should you be unsure about your status or suspect that your employer is mischaracterizing your job, our labor lawyers can assess your overtime eligibility.
• Authorization — Some people have the misconception that they can only collect overtime pay if their employer has specifically directed them to work more than 40 hours within a week. This is not true. Nonexempt employees are entitled to this benefit even if the business later claims that they were unaware of the extra work.
• Common violations — Businesses that try to shirk their legal responsibility by forcing personnel to work through breaks or shifting hours between weeks to keep the total under 40 are breaking the law. Our firm takes assertive action on behalf of employees cheated out of their overtime.

As an employee, it’s important to realize your time spent at work is valuable, so don’t let your employer pressure you into accepting less than what you’re owed. Our attorneys are accomplished employment litigators who are determined to obtain full compensation for Alabama clients.

Effective advocates help enforce clients’ rights to family and sick leave

Though there is no law in Alabama requiring employers to offer paid or unpaid sick leave, many companies do provide it. We assist employees who have been victimized when a company offers sick leave or another type of benefit to workers but punishes them when they try to use it. Under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), companies with at least 50 employees have to give qualifying employees unpaid time off upon request for childbirth and recovery, military family leave or a serious health condition affecting the worker or a family member.

Accomplished firm counsels employees on minimum wage matters

As of 2019, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour in most jobs, but lower rates can apply for younger workers and those who are regularly tipped. One way some companies try to pay less than minimum wage is to claim that the worker is actually an independent contractor. In these cases, our lawyers gather the necessary documents to demonstrate that the business possesses sufficient control of the worker to establish an employer-employee relationship.

Contact a skillful Alabama lawyer about your unpaid wage or overtime issue

Sanford Law Firm handles all types of claims where Alabama employees have not received proper wages, overtime pay, benefits or leave. Please call 205-675-0726 or contact us online to schedule a meeting at our office on Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North in Birmingham.