Boston Wage & Hour Attorneys
State and federal laws, as well as contracts, set out specific requirements for employers to pay employees for the work they do. At Thornton & Naumes, LLP, we make sure that employers uphold their obligations.
We know wage, hour, and overtime law in Massachusetts
Our firm has extensive experience helping workers in Massachusetts and full understanding of the Fair Labor Standards Act and comparable state laws. We seek pay on behalf of our clients in many ways, including litigation and mediation. Sometimes, an employer who wrongfully withholds wages can be liable for additional damages.
Our experience in federal and state wage disputes includes the following types of claims:
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The firm represents employees of every type of business and government entity, including members of national labor organizations and railroad unions. Our current investigations target the following types of employers:
Thornton & Naumes wage and hour lawyers
Please visit our significant cases page to see our successes in wage and hour cases.
Trust our Massachusetts wage and hour law attorneys to help
Contact the Boston law firm of Thornton & Naumes, LLP online or at 1-888-491-9726 for a free consultation with a recognized leader in wage and hour litigation.
Under Massachusetts law, drivers and laborers (shakers) must be paid the appropriate prevailing wage rates as determined at the beginning of each trash and/or recycling contract. Some companies continually avoid paying their workers the required prevailing wage rates, overtime, and travel time.
Under state and federal statutes, workers on public projects must be paid the appropriate prevailing wage rates for all hours worked on the projects. The prevailing wage is the minimum wage for a particular project, and each trade has its own hourly rate. Companies continually try to skirt the law and pay less. Affected workers can sue on their own behalf and on behalf of other workers who were employed by the company.
Many construction workers also do not receive time-and-one-half for all hours worked over 40 hours in a pay period. These workers have rights to initiate a lawsuit against their employers for this pay.
Field service technicians often work much more than 40 hours per week, but they are not always paid for all hours worked. These workers travel from one job to the next and very often they are paid by the job or paid only for the hours worked in the field. Workers in these positions are entitled to overtime, trip pay, and expense reimbursement.
Wait staff, servers, bartenders, hotel employees, banquet workers, and baggage handlers often receive tips as part of their work. Tips are the actual wage for these workers. More and more, companies share employee tips—a practice that is illegal. Managers or owners are not allowed under any circumstance to accept part of the tipped employees’ earnings.
Call-centers have become America’s modern-day factories. Many call-center employees work long hours, often exceeding 40 hours in a given pay period. But many call-center workers are paid a salary rather than an hourly wage. So, as a salaried employee, they are not paid overtime. In fact, most call-center workers are entitled to overtime.
Vehicle drivers—whether in field service, delivery, or operations—often work much more than 40 hours per week. And they usually have a lot of expenses and significant travel time between jobs. Most employers pay their drivers on a shift or salary basis. Many drivers are not paid for time spent loading or breaking down their trucks, delays, or time lost due to weather conditions.
Drivers must be paid for all hours worked, not just for their time driving from one stop to the next. Drivers of vehicles rated less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight may be entitled to overtime and must be reimbursed for business expenses and paid for travel time.
Staffing agencies send their employees to many different sites. Most of the time, the workers bear the travel cost. Employees should be compensated for all hours worked, their travel time, and expenses.
Assistant store managers typically work much harder than managers do, but they are not fully compensated for their work. Many work far beyond 40 or 50 hours per week, but are placed on salary and told they are exempt from overtime pay.
Just because employees are classified as assistant managers does not mean their tasks are actually managerial or that they are exempt from overtime. Many companies place this title on the hardest workers to avoid paying for hours worked over 40 and overtime premium rates.
Just because workers are classified as independent contractors does not mean they actually are. Many employers, including companies in construction, computer programming, delivery services, cable installation, and maintenance misclassify their employees in order to cut the company overhead costs, including workers compensation, unemployment insurance, and FICA benefits.
This system may save money for employers, but it hurts employees. Independent contractors are not covered by workers compensation insurance. They do not get unemployment benefits, and they do not have taxes withheld from their paychecks. This leaves employees at a disadvantage.
