Ferraro Vega Employment Lawyers helps construction workers in Spokane when they’re facing unpaid wages. No matter what kind of job you have on a construction site, you don’t just expect to be paid fairly—you have a legal right to it. When your employer doesn’t follow through, there are ways to recover the wages you’re owed. We can help you. Set up a free consultation today to talk through your options.
Do I Need a Lawyer?
You already know what you’re up against when you’re a construction worker in Spokane— long days outside, working with heavy materials and equipment, coordinating with different crews, and staying on schedule with the rest of the project. That makes it all the more demoralizing when your pay doesn’t reflect the time you put in.
It’s a lot to deal with on top of everything else, which brings you to a pretty natural question: do I need a lawyer? The answer is not always. That said, though, having our team’s help can make this situation a lot easier for you. We’ll handle:
- Reviewing your pay stubs, schedules, and employment paperwork
- Explaining what Washington law requires your employer to pay
- Talking with the company directly so you don’t have to
- Working toward resolving the issue without making your work life more stressful
The bottom line is that you have the law on your side when it comes to your pay as a construction worker. Still, some companies cut corners when budgets get tight or deadlines start piling up—and that can show up in your paycheck in a lot of different ways.
What Kinds of Unpaid Wages Happen to Construction Workers Like Me?
Unlike a lot of jobs in Spokane, construction work has a lot of moving parts. With all this movement and confusion, it opens the door to unpaid wages. Most of the time, they happen in the following ways:
- Missed overtime. Construction projects have a way of turning 40-hour weeks into 50- or 60-hour ones. Maybe the crew is trying to finish before the weather changes, or the job is behind schedule and everyone is staying late. When you work more than 40 hours in a week, those extra hours are usually supposed to be paid at time-and-a-half. But sometimes the paycheck shows all the hours as regular pay—or a few hours are missing entirely.
- Off-the-clock work. A lot of work on a construction site happens before or after the official shift. Maybe you’re asked to show up early to unload tools, go over the plan for the day, or get materials ready. Or you stay a bit later to clean up the site or lock things down. If you’re doing that work without being paid, that time may still count as part of your workday.
- Working through breaks. Breaks don’t always go as planned on a busy job site. The concrete truck shows up, an inspection is happening, or the crew wants to finish a section before the rain rolls in. So you power through lunch or skip a break to keep things moving. But if that break time is still taken out of your pay even though you were working, it can add up to unpaid wages.
- Travel between job sites. Some days aren’t spent in just one place. You might start the morning at one project and then head across Spokane to another job site. When you’re traveling between sites during the workday because the company needs you there, that time may need to be paid.
- Being called an “independent contractor.” Some workers later find out the company has been treating them like an independent contractor instead of an employee. That can affect overtime and other protections. But if the company sets your schedule, tells you what work to do, and provides the equipment, the law may still treat you as an employee—no matter what the paperwork says.
Even though you can’t control the decisions your employer makes, you can control what happens next—and that often starts with documentation.
What Evidence Should I Look For If I Think I Have Unpaid Wages?
Another thing that separates construction work from others in Spokane is the documentation that’s behind your pay. The major difference, though, is that a lot of this documentation is controlled by the company or firm you work for. Basically, you’re getting your paystub and unless you look closely at it, you could miss unpaid wages. But you’ll feel it, and once you do, it’s about establishing a pattern. Here’s how you can do that with evidence:
- Pay stubs and direct deposit records showing what you were paid
- Work schedules, shift assignments, or job site logs
- Timeclock records or sign-in sheets from the job site
- Text messages or emails from supervisors asking you to start early, stay late, or work extra hours
- Statements from coworkers dealing with similar pay issues
You probably don’t have perfect records, and that’s okay. Even partial documentation can help show what actually happened. If it reaches a point where you need more, our team will be there to get additional records from the company. From there, it’s about putting all of this information together and moving forward.
What Are My Options For Dealing With Unpaid Wages as a Construction Worker?
As a construction worker, you’re pretty used to handling things on your own and working through tough conditions. But unpaid wages are a bit different. They hurt in a way that other conditions on the worksite don’t. The question becomes, then, what can I do to get that pay back? The answers depend on the situation, but generally, you can:
- Talk with your bosses. Ideally, the issue could just be a payroll mistake or misunderstanding. If you bring that up to your supervisor or payroll department, they should agree to fix it.
- Filing a claim with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). If your company won’t fix things on their own, you can file an L&I claim. This is the state agency that investigates wage violations and can order your company to pay you the wages you’re owed. They also have the ability to lay down penalties so the issue doesn’t continue. For many construction workers, this route feels more manageable because it happens outside of court.
- Filing a lawsuit. Of course, you can always file a lawsuit in civil court. This is usually the best path if you’re missing large amounts of wages or the issue has been happening for a while. You have to face your employer in open court, but it gives you access to fuller “damages” like your:
- Unpaid wages
- Back pay
- Liquidated damages (additional damages on top of your unpaid wages)
- Attorney’s fees and court costs
- Emotional distress
If other workers on the same construction crew or project are experiencing similar problems, it may also be possible to move forward together through a group or class claim. One way or the other, though, you only have three years from the date of the last unpaid wage to file. That sounds like a lot of time, but records and documentation tend to change quickly with construction work. And remember, no matter what your situation is, our team will be there to support you.
Free Consultations For Construction Workers in Spokane Facing Unpaid Wages
When you’re a construction worker in Spokane, you have a lot of different duties and responsibilities. Plus, the conditions you work in are undeniably tough. That shouldn’t extend to your paycheck, but unfortunately, that’s exactly what can happen. When it does, our team at Ferraro Vega Employment Lawyers will be there to help you through the process of getting that pay back. Set up a free consultation today to get started.
