New York Wage Theft

Law Changes for 2015

New wage theft laws in 2015 have gone into effect and hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are now protected and able to benefit from the changes. The law enhances the ability of the state Department of Labor to be able to fight wage theft. The law was necessary because the Department has been all but powerless in New York for decades.

The state has been riddled with cases of employees filing complaints about wage theft and waiting years on end without any resolution. New York wage theft attorneys throughout the state are excited about the change. In New York City alone, thousands of employees are expected to get the justice they deserve this year. This change will make the process much quicker and is expected to reduce delays for complainants by several months.

Expert New York City employee rights attorneys are saying that the law will work in conjunction with the Wage Theft Protection Act (WTPA) from 2010. The WTPA increased penalties for employers that violate employee rights and strengthened protections for employees that file reports. The problem with the WTPA was that it did not give employees a mechanism to get results. Now, the two laws will give workers both the rights they deserve and a means of getting justice brought more swiftly.

Getting employee rights in New York has been an ongoing process for nearly a century now. Each piece of legislation passed is another small step along the way towards putting an end to wage theft and other workplace abuses. There is still a lot of work to be done, but employee rights attorneys in New York are excited about the changes and enhanced protections for hard working people throughout the state. This is a great step forward in putting an end to workplace abuses.

At Hepworth, Gershbaum & Roth, PLLC, our New York employee rights attorneys are compassionate to the needs of employees that have been victims of wage theft. We aim to bring swift justice for employees that are owed wages they have earned. You can schedule a free initial consultation by calling us at 212-545-1199 or contact us online.