Wage and Hour
Murphy Anderson fights to ensure that employees receive all pay they are owed for the work they perform. We have extensive experience enforcing federal, state, and local wage-and-hour laws through class- and collective-action litigation and are familiar with navigating the unique procedures for prosecuting such actions.
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) requires employers to pay non-exempt workers at least a minimum wage and an overtime premium of time and one-half for hours worked over forty per week. Many states and localities have their own laws that guarantee even higher minimum wages and overtime pay than the FLSA, as well as living-wage laws and other worker protections. Nonetheless, employers often violate these laws by failing to promptly pay employees for all hours worked or paying less than the minimum regular and overtime rates required by law.
Murphy Anderson lawyers are adept at identifying common policies and practices used by employers to avoid properly compensating their employees. Such common wage-theft practices include failing to pay for work performed during meal and other breaks, failing to pay for work performed before and after shifts (sometimes called “donning and doffing”), failing to pay for training time, stealing tips, making illegal deductions from paychecks, paying below the local minimum- or living-wage rate, and misclassifying employees as independent contractors or otherwise exempt from overtime and minimum-wage protections. Murphy Anderson has successfully challenged these types of misconduct, forcing employers to comply with the law and pay substantial awards to our clients.
Our litigators are experienced in prosecuting wage-and-hour cases on behalf of a wide variety of workers. Our clients have included workers in many industries, including sanitation workers; janitorial workers; nurses and health care workers; asbestos-, lead- and mold-abatement workers; and security guards. Many of our clients are non-English speakers, immigrants, or persons of color. Murphy Anderson is proud to help amplify workers’ collective voices.