Wage and Hour Questions Prevalent In Health Care Industry

Federal labor law (the Fair Labor Standards Act – FLSA), provides many protections for the vast majority of this country’s workers. Pursuant to the FLSA, workers must be paid at least minimum wage and all non-exempt workers are entitled to overtime compensation at a rate of one and one-times their standard rate of pay. Although this sounds straight forward, determining the correct rate of pay and ensuring employees receive all the compensation they are entitled to can be complicated – and lead to pay violations. If you have questions about your pay, or believe that you may not be receiving all that you are entitled to, consulting with an experienced Atlanta wage and hour attorney should be a top priority.

One area where questions often arise is in the health care field. For example, Registered nurses often work significant hours in a week. Lunch may be interrupted, breaks missed or overtime required. Employers must ensure that this time is properly accounted for and that nurses are paid what they are rightfully due. Additionally, where employers inaccurately compensate one worker, often several other similarly situated workers also fail to receive the pay they deserve. In these circumstances, it may be possible for the workers to file a special type of FLSA class action, known as a collective action, which will help you bring the maximum pressure to bear on your employer to change its ways and to pay you all the compensation you are owed.

While certainly the healthcare industry is not the only area where wage and hour issues arise, due to the unpredictable nature of the work, pay violations and errors – whether inadvertent or not – frequently arise.

For more information, or if you have any wage and hour questions, please contact the dedicated Georgia FLSA lawyers at Buckley Bala Wilson Mew LLP for an immediate and confidential case evaluation.