Zachary Zawarski is an employment and labor law attorney located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. We have successfully helped employees collect unpaid wages in Bethlehem, Allentown, and Easton, Pennsylvania. Zachary can handle various wage collection issues and disputes with your current or former employer.
Pennsylvania Wage Collection Law
The Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law governs various areas of wage laws. Employers are required to provide notice to their employees when regularly scheduled pay days occur. When an employee is hired, they must be informed of their (1) rate of pay; (2) time and place of payment; and (3) amount of any fringe benefits or wage supplements that are paid to the employee.
Employers cannot make their employees wait more than 15 days after a pay period ends to receive payment. This time period may also be shortened by the employer if there is a written agreement between the employer and employee.
What To Do When Employer Withholds Wages
Unfortunately, employers sometimes do not pay wages that are owed to employees. In some cases, this may be due to an employee leaving the company or being terminated and an employer thinking they will be able to get away with not making a final payment of wages to the employee. Even though an employee is no longer with the company, the employer is still required to pay wages to that employee as specified by law.
If your employer is withholding your wages, please contact me by calling (484) 362-9286 or email us. Your chances of obtaining wages that are owed to you are greatly increased if you are represented by an attorney.
Employer Penalties For Withholding Wages
If an employer wrongfully withholds wages for more than 30 days, they can be subject to liquidated damages which can be (a) five hundred dollars ($500); or (b) twenty-five percent (25%) of the total amount of wages due, whichever is higher.
Additionally, employers can be criminally charged for improperly withholding wages. Withholding wages can result in a summary offense punishable by a maximum fine of $300, or imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both.
Please keep in mind that if there is a good faith assertion to a right to set-off wages or a counter-claim, the Act is not violated.
Please contact me by calling (484) 362-9286 or email us if your wages have been withheld by your employer. We can help you recovery wages that are wrongfully being withheld.