n most cases, employees in New York are provided legal options for recovering unpaid wages. In New York, most workers are required to be paid minimum wage or more. Minimum wage for hourly workers in New York is $15.00 per hour. For workers who rely on tips as part of their wages, such as restaurant employees, minimum wage varies depending on factors such as the amount of earned tips, the industry, the size of the business, and where the business is located.

Generally, the minimum tipped wage in New York is $11.00 per hour. However, if the business has more than 11 employees on the payroll, the minimum tipped wage for their workers is $12.50 per hour. That’s just one example of how the minimum tipped wage can vary throughout Nassau County and the state of New York.

If you believe that your employer has not paid you properly, one way to recover your unpaid wages is to file a claim with the New York Department of Labor. The process for filing a claim with the NY Department of Labor involves the following:

The FLSA requires that non-exempt employees be paid overtime in certain circumstances. Overtime pay is usually time and a half of an employee’s regular hourly wage, and circumstances where a non-exempt employee would be paid overtime generally involve anytime the employee works more than 40 hours in a week.

However, overtime rules vary depending on an employee’s classification, the industry, where the business is located, and other factors. That’s why there are several factors that can result in an employee filing an unpaid overtime claim, including but not limited to the following:

If an employee is pursuing a federal unpaid overtime wage claim, they have two years to file an unpaid overtime lawsuit. If an employee is pursuing a New York state unpaid overtime wage claim, they have six years to file an unpaid overtime lawsuit.

Overtime pay in New York is complicated and includes several exemptions. Employees who are exempt are often unable to make an unpaid overtime claim or file an unpaid overtime lawsuit. However, there are sometimes exceptions that will allow exempt employees to recover unpaid overtime. Common exemptions include:

Unfortunately, even today, women, people of color, and other protected classes must still struggle to receive equal pay for equal work. Fortunately, there are laws that enable employees to fight back against this type of workplace misconduct and mistreatment. In these situations, workers can file a legal complaint for wage discrimination and/or an Equal Pay Act violation.

The Equal Pay Act was an amendment to the FLSA. It requires that employers pay men, women, and non-binary individuals equally for performing the same work.

Wage discrimination is illegal under the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act. These laws make it illegal to pay a worker less due to their race, disability, national origin, color, age, or religion. 

Minimum wage failures on payment generally involve one of a few different forms of wage theft. First, it could be the result of an employer paying employees less than the minimum wage they are owed under the law. Second, it could involve an employer not paying their employees for all the hours the employees worked.

There are two ways that workers can recover unpaid wages. First, workers have the option to file a claim with the New York Department of Labor. After you file your claim, the NY Department of Labor will investigate and hold a hearing. If your claim is valid and proven, the hearing should result in the Department of Labor recovering any unpaid wages your employer owes you. Second, employees can file a lawsuit to recover unpaid wages. Filing a lawsuit can also result in employees recovering liquidated damages, which is an amount equal to the unpaid wages the employee was owed. For example, if an employee recovered $2,000 in unpaid wages, then the employee’s liquidated damages would be $2,000 as well. That would mean the employee’s total recovery would be $4,000.