Immigrant Workers

Recently Jules Van Rengen, an official from the Department of Labor reminded a group of immigrants about the importance of reporting unfair labor practices immediately. One worker complained that his paychecks bounced repeatedly – and he continued to work. His employer filed for bankruptcy and he never received his wages. Most employees – including immigrant…

A recent case out of Ohio underscores the struggles of many immigrants striving to make a decent wage. In Cincinnati, a lawsuit continues against two veterinarians accused of wage theft involving three undocumented workers. At issue, the right to overtime compensation for workers who claim they were initially paid for several dozens of hours of overtime, only…

A new lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Wal-Mart employees alleging they were denied the wage, benefits and other protections they were entitled to under the law. Specifically, the suit alleges that janitors routinely worked seven days a week and were denied overtime pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the FLSA, all employees…

Recent NewYork Times and Huffington Post articles have focused on the prevalence of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) violations amongst low wage laborers, often immigrants. The FLSA provides many guarantees – including the guarantee of minimum wages and overtime compensation for non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a work in any work-week. The FLSA also sets forth child…

If you are an undocumented foreign worker in Georgia, do you have rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act? It looks like you should have at least some limited rights, if Georgia courts follow a federal court in Washington state, which recently ruled that a person’s immigration status does not affect a claim under the FLSA.…