The people who work hard to maintain our apartment complexes, condominiums, office buildings, and other properties may be the quiet victims of wage abuse.
Reports have surfaced that property management companies across the country are withholding or failing to pay hourly employees for all the time they work in violation of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Examples of possible wage theft include:
- Failing to pay minimum wage;
- Failing to properly record employees’ work hours, resulting in lost wages and overtime;
- Failing to compensate workers for overtime at the rate of 150% of their regular hourly wage;
- Misclassifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees to avoid paying overtime;
- Failing to compensate employees for “on call” time, that is, when they are required to be available to perform job-related activities while away from the job site;
- Failing to compensate employees for time spent laundering and maintaining uniforms;
- Failing to compensative employees for job-related expenses, including mileage between multiple properties managed by the employer; and
- Treating managed properties as separate “employers” to avoid paying overtime.
These unlawful pay practices deny employees hard-earned wages and overtime pay.
Because English may be a second or third language for many property management workers, employees can take advantage of the language barrier to confuse or deceive them. Others are hesitant to speak up for fear of losing their jobs.
The attorneys in Sommers Schwartz’s Employment Litigation Group are investigating complaints of wage theft at property management companies, and are interviewing hourly workers whose compensation is being unfairly withheld or denied. Please contact us today!
Kevin J. Stoops
Kevin Stoops is an experienced trial attorney who appears frequently in Michigan state courts and federal courts across the United States, representing clients in complex business litigation. He has vast experience and a track record of successful outcomes high-dollar matters involving trade secret, business tort, intellectual property, executive employment, and class action claims.
