Nearly 2K Kentucky workers are owed back wages. How to check if you have a payment
An online search tool could help more than 1,900 Kentucky workers claim back wages held by the U.S. Department of Labor which are owed to them by current or former employers.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division has almost $1 million in back wages unclaimed by Kentucky workers as of January, a DOL spokesperson told the Herald-Leader in an email. That pay can remain unclaimed for a number of reasons, including a change of name or address, or an employer failing to have updated contact information.
Here’s what to know about back wages and how you can claim them if you are eligible.
What are back wages?
Back pay can be ordered of an employer under the Wages and Fair Labor Standards Act, which covers multiple employee rights, including minimum wage, overtime, record keeping and more.
There are several ways you can collect back wages under the FLSA, and those include, according to the federal DOL:
- The Wage and Hour Division supervises payment to owed workers.
- The secretary of labor brings a suit for back wages.
- An employee files private suit for back pay.
- The secretary of labor obtains an injunction to restrain anyone after violating the FLSA.
Back wages are not uncommon. Last October, a Kentucky Roosters Wings franchisee in Louisville was ordered to pay $43,000 in fines and $182,000 in back pay after breaking child labor laws and violating overtime regulations.
In 2011, Bluegrass Hospitality Group, which ran multiple Lexington restaurants, agreed to pay more than $114,000 in back wages to 43 employees after the federal DOL alleged the company did not follow overtime and record-keeping regulations. While the company never admitted to the violations, it agreed to pay the workers.
How to search for unclaimed wages
As of January, 1,994 Kentucky workers are owed a total of $996,087.97 in unclaimed back wages, according to a DOL spokesperson.
An online tool, called Workers Owed Wages (WOW), allows individuals to enter their information and see if there are any held wages owed to them. The website is available in English and Spanish.
To use the portal, first search for your employer, enter your name, fill out your contact information and upload a signed form with your Social Security card, taxpayer identification card, driver’s license, W-2 and pay stub.
The Wage and Hour Division Office will contact workers who submit through the portal and are owed money.
The DOL holds all unclaimed funds for three years before turning the money over to the U.S. Department of Treasury.
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