Need advice: Employer doesn't want to pay me

[riverdale]

I had a job for about a month. My former employer doesn't appear to be interested in paying my wages. Messages are being left unanswered.
Does anyone have advice on what are the next steps to take in this situation?

Thanks

[Donnachaidh]

1. Call the labor board.

Only they can advise you as to the law in your area.

[Neecy]

2. File a complaint with your State labor board

Have every bit of documentation you can lay your hands on. Have an estimate of the hours you worked.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. What does your contract say?

Even McDonalds has you sign something.

Are you an independent Contractor? Full Time Employee? Part Time? Are you working under the table?

[FreakinDJ]

4. 1 of the only Debts you can go to jail for not paying

[Quantess]

5. I went through this, too.

Contact the Bureau of Labor in your state. The law is on your side, and so is the Bureau of Labor.

[Hepburn]

6. Get in contact with the Labor Board...n/t

[taterguy]

7. TP his house

[FreakinDJ]

9. The "Final Solution"

LOL - sorry

Do I need to print a disclaimer

[Q3JR4]

8. Was gonna suggest the

http://courts.michigan.gov/scao/courtforms/smallclaims/scindex.htm">small claims court, but I'm now in agreement that the Labor Board route would be the best bet.

Q3JR4.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

10. Send Your Employer A Letter

First of all, is this a FORMER employer or a CURRENT employer? And if it is a CURRENT employer, do you want to continue working for him/her? If you no longer work for this person, and have no desire to do so in the future, you can and should start the legal ball rolling. Here's how you do it.

Your first step is to send your employer a letter stating SPECIFICALLY how much money you believe you're owed, what the money represents (X number of hours, at Y rate, incurred during Z period of employment), and that he/she has 30 days to pay you in full. If the money is not paid in full by the date specified, you intend to pursue any and all legal remedies available to you in order to collect the debt. You might want to call your local bar association and ask if your State has any required language that you MUST include in your demand letter in order to comply with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Then you wait 30 days.

If, after 30 days, the debt is still unpaid, and your employer has failed to make other acceptable arrangements, you file your lawsuit. Consult the local rules of the Courts in your County to see which Court you should file in (in most States, if the amount is less than $5,000, you can sue in Small Claims Court, and if it's less than $20,000, you can sue in Municipal Court). The Clerk's Office at your local courthouse may be able to answer that question for you as well.

Assuming that you successfully sue your employer, and win a Judgment for the amount in question, you can then start the collection process and work on actually getting your money.

You can also report your employer to the State Attorney General, if you like (as mentioned above), or try to get help through your Union Rep (if you're in a Union). But I think you'll find that most Courts (particularly people who work in the Clerk's Office) are willing to help walk you through the process if you decide to sue.

[tsuki]

11. He owes you matching payroll taxes. Contact the IRS. nt

[notesdev]

12. Leave one more message

and make it clear that it will be far more expensive for them to defend the civil and criminal actions than to simply cough up what they owe you.

[cap]

13. if you are a w2 employee and didn't get paid,

you are on incredibly solid ground to get all your wages immediately. It happened to me once, and I saw an attorney... My god, I never saw an attorney jump down someone's throat so fast. I thought if he could reach through the phone wires, he would have strangled the guy. I got paid immediately.

The way the attorney explained it was this: Slavery went out in the 1860's. The right to collecting your wage for your labor is fundamental. If the case goes before a judge, your employer is screwed and he gets to pay penalties. Oh yeah, and never mind reporting him to the Department of Labor. They have their own set of penalties as well.

We did elect a Labor-friendly administration. :)