The Number Of Wage-And-Hour Claims Continues To Rise
New numbers released by the Federal Judicial Center have indicated that the trend of rising wage-and-hour claims shows no sign of abating. In fact, the number of such labor lawsuits has reached a new record high, according to experts who have analyzed data concerning the claims.
The numbers show that between April 1, 2013 and March 31, 2014, there were more than 8,100 federal wage-and-hour lawsuits filed in the United States. This number marks a more than five percent rise from the period the year prior, when a record-setting 7,764 cases were filed.
Though the number of cases has risen in the short-term, the incredible jump in wage-and-hour lawsuits by employees has skyrocketed when viewed in a broader context. Comparing the recent figures to those from 2000 reveals a 438 percent increase in such claims, an explosion in little more than a decade. The numbers don’t include state wage-and-hour lawsuits, which are filed under state-specific labor laws. Were these numbers included, the rise would be seen as even more dramatic.
Though the increase in the number of such cases has already been tremendous, experts say they believe the trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Those who work in the field say that workers are more likely to be aware of their rights today thanks to education campaigns and the publicity generated by successful wage-and-hour lawsuits. As a result, workers who are being treated unfairly and illegally by their employers are far more likely to seek the assistance of a labor lawyer today than they were even just a few years ago.
Those in the field say that there are other factors that will likely ensure that the number of such lawsuits continues to rise. For one thing, there has been a tightening of standards regarding class certification in class-action lawsuits. This tightening of restrictions on class-action cases has led many victims to file single-party lawsuits for injured plaintiffs, which leads to a higher number of individual cases. Additionally, the media attention surrounding a possible raise in the minimum wage has also increased attention to wage-and-hour issues.
Though employers may lament the rise in such cases, those workers who have for years suffered in silence while being forced to work without the proper compensation should rejoice. Not only have employers been forced to compensate thousands of workers for unpaid time, but companies across the country have now begun implementing preemptive changes to ensure they are complying with existing labor regulations.
This shows how the rising number of wage-and-hour lawsuits benefits the vast majority of workers, even those that are not named in any specific case. The looming threat of lawsuits has worked to prompt employers to make long overdue changes to the way they run their businesses and compensate workers, proving that a rising tide lifts all boats.
Source: Workers Filing Wage-and-Hour Lawsuits Under Labor Act at Record Pace,” by Judy Greenwald, published at BusinessInsurance.com. on May 20, 2014.
Source: FLSA Lawsuits at Record High,” by Scott Wooldridge, published at BenefitsPro.com. on May 29, 2014.
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