In the state of New York, every employee has certain rights under the law. Issues with minimum wage are some of the most common wage disputes in the state. If you suspect that your employer isn’t paying you enough, you might want to start logging your hours and checking your pay rate.
How much does your employer have to pay you?
The federal minimum wage is $7.25. However, $11 is the minimum wage in the state of New York. No matter where you work, your employer has to pay you at least $11 per hour. If they don’t, they might be committing wage and hour violations.
There are some exceptions to this rule. If you work in an industry where you receive tips, your employer can pay you less than minimum wage. Ideally, your tips will make up the rest of your paycheck. However, many people don’t realize that your employer still has to compensate you if you don’t make at least $11 per hour. If you don’t get enough tips, your employer has to compensate you for the amount that you missed.
According to federal law, employers only have to pay $4.25 an hour when they hire employees under the age of 20. However, this only takes effect for the first 90 days. After that, they have to pay their employees the standard minimum wage. Some employers can pay less than minimum wage if they hire students, so it’s important to know your rights.
What if your employer breaks the law?
Whether it was intentional or unintentional, it’s against the law for your employer to pay less than minimum wage. This includes refusing to compensate you if you didn’t make enough tips during your shift. You might want to talk to an employment attorney if your company isn’t compensating you properly.
Wage and hour violations don’t just apply to minimum wage. Your employer could also break the law if they withhold your wages, don’t pay you for overtime hours, force you to work off-the-clock or refuse to give you benefits that you’re entitled to. Get in touch with an attorney if you’re dealing with any of these situations.