By On behalf of The Law Offices of Roderick V. Hannah, Esq., P.A.
Workers at BlueWare in Florida came forward in August with complaints about wage violations, alleging that the company failed to pay its employees according to existing agreements. Now, the workers have formally filed suit against the embattled company, which is also facing a brewing political scandal. Two workers are seeking more than $15,000 in damages, along with unpaid wages and attorneys’ fees through the employee rights case.
In one of the most egregious hourly pay violations, a company official informed all BlueWare employees that their pay was slated to be retroactively changed to minimum wage in order to maintain the business’s financial solvency. This move enraged workers, who had been promised higher pay in even basic clerical positions.
Official reports show that one of the employees, a woman, was hired at a $10 per hour rate to scan documents. Not only is that woman owed more than $600 in back wages, but the company also failed to pay her $500 for a promised bonus after she passed a training test. The other plaintiff, a man, is claiming that he did not receive paychecks through the latter part of the summer. He is seeking more than $4,400 in overdue pay for two months of absent paychecks.
Those two workers are not the only victims in this case; a variety of other employees were also underpaid because of BlueWare missteps. One of those employees is seeking compensation through the federal court system, alleging that the company committed civil theft and deceived employees. These violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act could cost the company thousands.
Employees are protected by legal mandates that prohibit companies from retroactively reducing their pay or failing to pay them at all. Civil court can provide plaintiffs with the opportunity to recover this hard-earned money. Workers deserve to be treated fairly and with respect, especially in relation to their pay.
Source:
www.floridatoday.com, “BlueWare sued by former employees” Rick Neale, Oct. 25, 2013
Source: http://www.rhannahlaw.com/blog/2013/10/blueware-workers-proceed-with-civil-suit-seek-back-pay.shtml
