Imagine being hired to do a job, and then having the person who hired you simply refuse to provide the pay you were promised. Whether you worked an hour, a day, a week or more, it would be unfair – but hard to do anything about, right? After all, in a situation like that, isn’t the person (or company) who has the money the one in control. The answer is no. The Pennsylvania legislature passed a law called the Wage Payment and Collection Law that was specifically created to make sure that workers are treated fairly, and when you have an employment litigation law firm working on your behalf, you can be sure the law is enforced.

What Wages Are Covered?

The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Compensation Act enforces the agreement that was made before the work was begun. It provides a way to collect everything that an employee is owed, including salary or hourly pay, money owed for a specific project or work product, a commission, or benefits. It also includes any unpaid fringe benefits such as holiday time or sick leave if they were guaranteed to be paid according to the agreement between the employee and the employer.

When Is Payment Supposed to be Provided?

It doesn’t matter whether an employee quits or is fired, they are owed their payment no later than whatever the next scheduled payday would have been. If the employer and employee don’t agree on how much is owed, the employer has to give a written notification of how much they agree is owed, and provide that by the scheduled pay date, and that is done with the understanding that the employer’s accepting the amount that is provided doesn’t mean that they are forfeiting any more money that they are owed.

Under the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Act, either an individual employee or a group of employees can file a lawsuit to recover wages that they’re owed, and if their suit is successful the employer also has to pay their costs and attorneys’ fees. Additionally, if payment isn’t made within a certain amount of time, the unpaid workers are also entitled to an extra 25 percent of the total they’re owed (or $500, whichever is more).

If you provided work and haven’t been paid for it by an employer, the employment litigation lawyers at Bochetto & Lentz can help. Contact us today to set up a time to discuss your situation, and your rights.