The Fair Labor Standards Act states that each worker in Indiana has the right to receive due compensation for time spent working. That compensation includes the extra money that you are entitled to for working overtime. Omitting overtime pay can be grounds for filing a lawsuit against your employer.
A group of seven stagehands filed a lawsuit against a Las Vegas magician for not paying them for their claimed overtime hours. According to the federal lawsuit, the stagehands frequently worked for 14 hours every single day in a week, but the extra hours they worked were not duly compensated. Federal labor laws state that employees should only work for 40 hours per week for standard wages. Any hours over this standard are considered overtime and should be paid accordingly.
The magician’s camp filed a lawsuit prior to the stagehands’ filing, accusing some workers of a breach of contract for allegedly disclosing trade secrets. However, the employees said that they were constantly reminded of the punishments for violating secrecy agreements, warnings that consequently created a coercive and exploitative system that took away fair payment for labor provided by the employees.
While both parties are reportedly trying to reach a settlement for the lawsuits filed against each other, it is still important to remember that you have rights as an employee. These rights include being paid fairly and on time by your employer, not just for regular wages, but also for overtime hours. You are free to secure legal counsel and pursue employment litigation if your employer in Indiana withholds overtime wages owed for your services.
Source: Bloomberg Businessweek, “Vegas magician stagehands suing over wage dispute,” Ken Ritter, April 4, 2014
