ORLANDO — The class action unpaid overtime lawsuit against the Democratic National Committee (DNC) just got a little bit bigger after several more plaintiffs joined the claim, alleging that the defendant failed to pay overtime wages despite the grueling schedule staffers worked on Hillary Clinton’s election campaign. Former campaign staffers from Florida, North Carolina, Missouri, Virginia, and Michigan joined Bethany Katz’s claim to recover their lost wages and hold the DNC accountable for the principles it espouses.
The lawsuit claims that the defendant paid its staffers a monthly salary of $3,000 for all the work performed at various campaign offices. However, despite putting in 80 to 90 hours per week, the plaintiffs never received overtime wages, according to the overtime lawsuit.
In defense of their blatant exploitation, representatives for the DNC claim staff members working grueling hours for modest pay and no overtime is a “tradition” in political campaigns and the plaintiffs should have known that. Unfortunately for the defendant, only certain classes of workers performing certain duties are overtime exempt and failing to pay any other workers is illegal under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The FLSA clearly states that employers can only classify certain types of employees as overtime exempt and pay these individuals a salary. Furthermore, to qualify for overtime exemptions, these workers must perform certain duties vital to the company’s operations.
Often times, employees designated as “managers” or “supervisors” hold these roles in title only, a means by which employers try to keep payroll down and extract as much cheap labor as possible from workers. Another common wage theft tactic employers use is designating employees as “independent contractors” while ostensibly treating these workers as regular employees.
Fortunately, the FLSA gives wage theft victims the right to sue employers for back pay, interest on unpaid wages, and even liquidated damages equal to their lost income. Additionally, the federal and state wage laws allow courts to award attorneys’ fees to cover the cost of litigation necessary to recover unpaid overtime.
Campaign Staff Overtime Lawsuit
Call (855) 754-2795 or complete the Free Unpaid Overtime Case Review form on the top right of this page if you feel that your wage rights are being violated under the FLSA. Our top-rated team of unpaid wage lawyers will evaluate your situation to determine your best course of action to help you seek justice.
Our office will also determine if it is in your best interest to file a lawsuit against your employer. Because strict time limitations apply for filing these types of claims, we advise you contact our experienced unpaid overtime wage attorneys at your earliest convenience and preserve your legal rights.