Other Wage Theft Cases: Unpaid Breaks, Prevailing Wages & More

California is serious about meal and rest breaks. State law says if you work more than 5 hours, you're entitled to a 30-minute meal break (and a second 30-minute break if you work 10+ hours), plus paid 10-minute rest breaks for every 4 hours worked.

And if your boss denies you those breaks or makes you work through them, California Labor Code §226.7 requires they pay you one extra hour of wages for each day a break was missed. That's right – your employer has to pay up for violating your break rights.

If they don't, not only are they breaking the law, but you and your co-workers could join forces in a class-action lawsuit to claim all those unpaid break premiums. Imagine dozens of employees at your job, all coming together because the boss thought they could save money by skimping on breaks – the potential liability for the company could be huge.

In short, California gives you the tools to fight back, and we're here to help you use them. Don't let your employer's scheduling crunches rob you of both rest and pay – you've earned both.

New York has your back when it comes to fair treatment on the job. By law, if you work over 6 hours, your employer must give you at least a 30-minute unpaid meal break – no ifs, ands, or buts. (For certain longer shifts or specific industries, even longer breaks or additional breaks are required.)

If your boss is ignoring these rules, they're violating state labor law. And New York doesn't take wage theft lightly: as of 2023, the state actually made wage theft a form of larceny – meaning an employer who willfully withholds your wages is literally committing theft under NY criminal law. They could be referred to the District Attorney for prosecution!

So if you and your colleagues have been stiffed on pay or breaks, you're not just dealing with a civil issue – your employer could be treated as a common thief. The good news is that strong laws give you leverage. Going after your lost wages in New York can not only get you what you're owed, but might also put a bad boss in the hot seat legally. Don't be afraid to stand up – remember, when one worker speaks up in New York, others often rally too, and that collective voice can be incredibly powerful.

In New Jersey, you might be surprised to learn there's no law requiring meal breaks for adult workers. (Yes, your boss can technically have you work through lunch – it's awful, but it's legal if you're an adult not covered by a union agreement.) However, that doesn't give employers a free pass to engage in wage theft.

If you did get a break and your employer refused to pay you for short rest periods (under 20 minutes), that violates federal rules and we can take action. More importantly, New Jersey recently enacted one of the toughest anti-wage theft laws in the country.

Under the New Jersey Wage Theft Act, signed in 2019, workers can recover triple the amount of unpaid wages in damages, and repeat offender employers can even face jail time. The law beefed up penalties, extended the statute of limitations to 6 years, and even makes it easier to bring big collective actions on behalf of all workers who were cheated.

In other words, if your employer thought they could get away with shorting you and maybe dozens of your co-workers, New Jersey will make them regret that decision. You could not only get back every penny you earned, but potentially a hefty bonus for the trouble – and send a message that wage theft doesn't pay (for them, at least!).

Pennsylvania doesn't guarantee meal or rest breaks for most adult workers, which unfortunately means your boss can make you work through lunch. But if they do offer a short break, even just 10 or 15 minutes to grab a snack or catch your breath, they must pay you for that time.

If they didn't – say, they had you stay on call during a "break" or they docked your pay for coffee breaks – that's unlawful, and those minutes and hours can add up to a lot of stolen wages.

Also, PA law protects workers on public projects: under the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act, if you're working on a state-funded construction job over $25,000, you must be paid the preset prevailing wage rates for your work. Contractors who try to lowball you below those rates are breaking the law (and could lose their contracts or face other penalties).

We've seen cases where entire crews of electricians, plumbers, you name it, were underpaid on a government job – and when they all stood together, they recovered significant back pay for everyone. So even if Pennsylvania's break laws are lax, other protections have your back. If you suspect you've been shorted, especially on a government-funded project, speaking up could mean you and your team get a big check for all that hard work that wasn't properly paid.

Illinois gives workers some basic rights that shady bosses often hope you don't know about. For example, if you work at least 7½ consecutive hours in Illinois, you're entitled to a 20-minute meal break, and it has to start no later than 5 hours into your shift. Pulling an all-day shift or a double? You should get a second break, too, once you hit 12 hours.

If your employer isn't letting you take that time to recharge (or they're making you work during your lunch), they're violating state law and owe you wages for that time.

And here's something that might shock you: Willful wage theft is actually a crime in Illinois. Shorting your paycheck by even a few thousand dollars can land an unscrupulous employer a misdemeanor charge (up to 6 months in jail), and if they keep doing it or steal larger amounts, it can escalate to a felony with up to 3 years in prison.

Think about that – if your boss snatches $5,000 of your earned wages, Illinois might put them behind bars, just as if they had stolen money out of a cash register. For you, the worker, that means you've got real leverage to claim what's yours. Don't let them off the hook – when you stand up for your rights in Illinois, you might be surprised how quickly a company finds the money to pay you (and your co-workers) once the law is on their tail.

Florida's wage theft protections might not be as robust as some other states, but you still have options – and we're here to make sure you use every single one. Florida has no dedicated state agency for unpaid wage claims, so workers often have to either take the fight to court or seek help under local county ordinances. (Miami-Dade and Broward County, for instance, have their own wage theft laws to help employees.)

Wage theft is unfortunately not uncommon in the Sunshine State's booming industries – it happens to construction workers, farmworkers, home health aides, and especially in Florida's huge restaurant and hospitality scene.

The good news? When workers in Florida do stand up, big things can happen. There have been restaurant wage cases in South Florida that settled for $400,000-$500,000 in class-action payouts to employees, and an ongoing lawsuit against a company (stretching from Pennsylvania to New York) is expected to hit seven figures in recovered wages.

Just because Florida lacks a one-stop state process doesn't mean you're powerless – far from it. By teaming up with your fellow employees and using federal and local laws, you can make your employer pay every cent they owe. Don't assume someone else will speak up: if you're missing wages, chances are your co-workers are too. By reaching out to us, you could be the one who sparks a collective action that gets everyone paid what they're owed.