Monday, August 20, 2012

Ask A Lawyer: How Can I Get Paid For Overtime?

How can you get paid for all the hours you worked? Whether it's getting paid vacation days or lunch breaks, lots of AOL Jobs readers have concerns about this issue, so I'm going to answer three readers' questions in this column. Please note: I'm giving general answers based on federal law. Your state may have laws with more stringent requirements for employers, so always check with an employment lawyer in your state about your specific situation.

Q: I work for a government agency and if we get any overtime, say on a Tuesday, we have to flex it in time off that week so that we don't get paid for it. The time we get off is straight time not time-and-a-half. They make us flex our time off if we work more than an eight-hour day. Is this legal?


For answers to this and other questions about wages, overtime and holiday pay, check out my new column in AOL Jobs.

2 comments:

  1. wow, being an employee is getting more complicated every day, isn't it? times i think it is trending to the idea that the employee should be classified as independent contractors

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Griper. Employers are certainly getting more creative about finding ways to keep from paying wages owed. Most independent contractors are improperly classified and should be employees. It's yet another dodge employers use to avoid paying what's owed.

    ReplyDelete

I appreciate your comments and general questions but this isn't the place to ask confidential legal questions. If you need an employee-side employment lawyer, try http://exchange.nela.org/findalawyer to locate one in your state.