Jeffrey K Brown, Leeds Morelli & Brown, PC
Author: Leeds Morelli & Brown,P.C.
The Food Chain Workers Alliance releases a new report, The Hands That Feed Us: Challenges and Opportunities for Workers Along the Food Chain. The report looks at wages and working conditions of workers across the entire food chain. The food chain sector employs 20 million people in the U.S., comprising one-sixth of the nation’s workforce. The report is based on nearly 700 surveys and interviews with workers and employers in food production, processing, distribution, retail and service, which collectively sell over $1.8 trillion dollars in goods and services annually, accounting for over 13 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. According to our report, the vast majority are incredibly low-wage, with little or no access to paid sick days and health benefits. More than 86% of workers reported earning subminimum, poverty, and low wages, resulting in a sad irony: food workers face higher levels of food insecurity, or the inability to afford to eat, than the rest of the U.S. workforce. Full article.
The federal government raised the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour in 2009. The federal minimum wage is different for tipped employees like servers and waiters. Since 1966, a sub-section of the minimum wage has existed for people who work for gratuities, known as the “tipped minimum wage.” Employers may calculate tips into a tipped employee’s wage but employers must pay a tipped employee at least the federal minimum wage of $2.13 per hour. Under FLSA, overtime means working more than the prescribed workweek or working in excess of 40 hours per workweek. Some jobs diverge from the 40-hour workweek under FLSA, but normally any qualified employee who works more than 40 hours during a workweek is entitled to overtime.
Leeds Morelli & Brown, P.C. has experience with wage and hour law claims, including violations of the overtime laws caused by requiring not properly compensating employees for hours worked or overtime wages. The attorneys at Leeds Morelli & Brown, P.C., would be happy to discuss your wage and hour matter in confidence, and provide free consultations to answer your questions and evaluate your claim. Contact us today to discover how we can help you.