Protection From Wage Theft

How to Protect Yourself from Wage Theft

Document Retention

ALWAYS save your paystubs — If they are provided to you electronically via a portal or website, download them and save them or print them out and file them away.

DON'T depend on a website or portal maintained by your employer or a third-party payroll company, as you may lose access to any documents contained therein upon separation from the company.

Keep your previous six years of paystubs. Always review your paystubs for any issues as soon as possible after you receive them. It’s easier to deal with a payment issue a few days later rather than a year, or years later.

Review Your Benefits

DO save your employee handbook (if provided with one) — read it and keep it. Put it somewhere safe in your home or even leave it in the glovebox of the vehicle you drive to work in in case you need to refer to it in the future.

If your company provides benefits like health insurance, a 401k, or supplemental unemployment: Keep copies of any documents you receive about these benefits – like the bank or credit union where your 401k money is kept. If you end up leaving one employer for another, it might be difficult to find information about your previous employer’s benefits.

Time Tracking

DO write down where you’re working, what you’re doing, and when you worked (start and quit time) for each day in a notebook or in the “Notes” app on your smartphone, if you have one. Keeping these work logs can help to identify discrepancies in your pay. If you’re a truck driver, consider adding what you’re hauling (i.e. topsoil, crane mats, equipment.)

If you...

Work on a prevailing wage “rate” job — look to see if your employer has posted the prevailing wage schedule somewhere. If so, check to make sure it’s current and look at what you should be getting paid for the type of work you’re doing.
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Work overnight or on a holiday — take special note of it. Sometimes you may be owed premiums or special overtime formulas for that work.
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Work “on the side” for your employer, like work at a property they own where you might be paid cash, keep a log of it.

If your employer makes you show up early or asks you to stay late, (ex. show up to the shop early to prepare for the day or go back to the shop to clean up at the end of the day) make sure to log those hours and ensure you are getting paid for them.

Protect Yourself From Wage Theft

Disclaimer:

How to Protect Yourself from Wage Theft

Document Retention

Review Your Benefits

Time Tracking

If you...

Do you have concerns about a construction project you’ve worked on, or have seen in the field?

NEW YORK FOUNDATION FOR FAIR CONTRACTING

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