There are many ways that employers might violate the wage rights of workers. Federal and state laws help ensure that employees have the right to a minimum hourly wage and even overtime pay in certain situations.
Frequently, companies try to minimize what they pay their employees, and they may break the law to achieve that goal. For example, employers may actually violate federal fair pay statutes by offering certain workers lower wages because of their race or sex. That is a direct violation of fair pay laws.
Companies may try to cover up their questionable compensation practices by teaching workers that the company has a policy against disclosing wages to one another. Even if a company has a wage secrecy policy in its handbook, the business’s managers or human resources professionals typically cannot enforce it without breaking the law.
Workers have a right to organize
Employees need to be able to discuss their careers with one another if they hope to make use of their rights. Knowing what coworkers earn is critical if employees intend to hold their employers accountable for underpaying them. Regardless of the company’s policies, federal employment laws extend the right to discuss wages as part of the labor organizing process.
Workers cannot assert themselves effectively if they cannot communicate about their employment concerns with one another. Employers typically cannot enforce rules against wage disclosure between employees, although they can sometimes push back on public disclosures in cases where workers may have signed confidentiality agreements.
Identifying violations of workplace regulations and wage laws can help employees stand up for themselves. Workers denied fair wages can sometimes initiate litigation to hold their employers accountable for inappropriate and unlawful employment practices.
