Enforcing Your Wage & Hour Rights

What should you do if you believe your wage and hour rights have been violated? If your employer has denied you mandatory breaks, refused to pay you for all of your work, denied you overtime pay, or taken money from the employee tip pool, for instance, you have a couple of legal options:

• file a complaint or wage claim with the federal Department of Labor (Wage and Hour Division) or your state's labor department, or
• file a lawsuit against your employer, either on your own or as part of a class action with other employees who have been similarly treated.