Washington labor laws force employers to pay employees once a month on the same day each month. When Tacoma employers are even a day late with a paycheck, they violate the law, and employees can file claims to get their wages paid.
In some cases, fines and penalties are assessed, and employees can get double or more of what they are owed back when their cases are successful.
Unfortunately, some companies and corporations can afford lawyers to help find ways to avoid accepting blame. They can also apply pressure on employees and, in some cases, threaten them. Some employees who experience unpaid wages should have a lawyer of their own at their side to provide legal protection and ensure clients get everything they are owed and, in some cases, more.
Fight Back If Your Tacoma Employer Is Late With a Paycheck
Tacoma employees may feel very along if they don’t see their expected paycheck in their bank accounts. They may get a shock if a paycheck “bounces” when they try to cash it.
But Washington employees are protected by state labor laws. They also have legal options when being treated poorly by their companies or corporations.
First of all, Washington requires businesses to pay their workers once a month. The law also prohibits employers from using a payment method that charges the employer simply to get access to their wages.
The state’s L&I explains the deadline:
Employers are required to pay employees at least once per month on a regular, scheduled payday. An employer may require employees to sign up for direct deposit, as long as this does not impose a cost on the employee. Employers may also offer to pay employees using debit or prepaid payroll cards. If there are fees for using these cards, the employer must provide an alternative that allows employees to access their wages without any fees or costs associated when withdrawing funds.
Employers who mess with their employees’ pay can be made to pay back every cent they should have received in a paycheck. However, that’s not the only punishment possible. The state can assess fines and penalties. The punishment is worse if it’s shown that a company purposely delayed a paycheck or knew it couldn’t meet payroll and offered no warning.
Some of the fines assessed can be awarded to the employee. Under the Revised Code of Washington 49.52.070, employees may even be awarded two times what they are owed.
Do I Need a Lawyer if My Employer Refuses to Pay Me?
When your employer falls behind on paychecks and you are owed a considerable amount of money, it’s a good idea to speak to a skilled Tacoma Unpaid Wages Lawyer about your options.
When your losses only amount to a single paycheck, and your employer is trying to fix the issue, you may not benefit from having an attorney.
These are some of the biggest reasons to seek a free consultation with a real Tacoma Employment Lawyer:
- If your case and lost wages will involve a lot of money
- If many employees at your place of work are having the same issue
- If you are told to speak to the employer’s lawyers
- If you start to receive threats or someone at work tries to intimidate you
- You are fired or demoted, and you feel it was simply because you spoke up
A lawyer can also stand up for your rights if you receive threats to your employment after speaking out about wage violations. This type of intimidation is illegal, and employers can face further harsh penalties for engaging in this unfair behavior.
How Can an Employment Lawyer Help Me If I Don’t Get Paid?
A Lawyer on your side may be the only way to get your case taken seriously. Your lawyer can also often force employers to pay everything in back pay they owe.
In some cases, with penalties assessed, workers may receive more than what was withheld. But these benefits can be overlooked or go unmentioned if you don’t have someone working to protect your interests.
These are just a few of the ways a lawyer can help you:
- Fully investigate your case and your employer’s payroll policies and records
- Determine totals for your lost income and benefits, and add in the effects a loss of money has had on your efforts to support your family and pay your bills
- Take on the team of lawyers your employer sends after you and prevent them from trying to cover up an issue or shift the blame to you
- Take legal action if an employer threatens to fire you for simply seeking what you are owed
- Represent you before State labor administrators to make sure they hear your full story and consider it when awarding support
- Negotiate for much more than you could usually secure for yourself, sometimes much more than you are owed
- In some cases, your company is forced to pay your legal fees, so getting an attorney’s help ends up being free
We examine your company’s policies and the state and federal laws that empower you to take action. With evidence in hand, we demand the return of your hard-earned money and other benefits for the ordeal you’ve been put through.
Contact a Tacoma Unpaid Wages Lawyer Today
If your employer has made you wait for the money you’ve rightfully earned, you should be paid promptly, and your legal rights should be protected.
At Ferraro Vega Employment Lawyers, we’re here to help you make sure you get reimbursed for what you’ve lost and perhaps even more. We take up the fight until you receive what you are owed. We help victims of wage loss in Seattle and across King County.
In some cases, the cost of our services is free. If your case is successful, your employer will often be forced to pay your legal expenses.
Don’t wait–contact us today for a free consultation.