Recent Trends in Wage Theft Litigation: What Employers Need to Know to Stay Compliant
Recent Trends in Wage Theft Litigation: What Employers Need to Know to Stay Compliant Wage theft, the denial of wages or employee benefits rightfully owed to an employee, has become a significant focus of labor litigation in recent years. This issue encompasses various unlawful practices, including unpaid overtime, minimum wage violations, misclassification of employees, and unlawful deductions. Understanding the trends in wage theft litigation is crucial for employers to ensure compliance, avoid legal repercussions, and maintain fair labor practices. 1. Overview of Wage Theft Wage theft occurs when employers do not pay workers the full wages or benefits they are entitled to by law. This can take many forms, including not paying for overtime, forcing employees to work off the clock, making illegal deductions, and misclassifying employees to avoid paying benefits or proper wages. 2. Key Trends in Wage Theft Litigation a. Increased Enforcement and Penalties Trend: There has been a