Hertz and Thrifty employees in Washington State filed a class action lawsuit for minimum wage violations against Hertz and Thrifty. More than 150 employees of the car rental behemoths filed claims with the Department of Labor (DOL) under the SeaTac minimum wage ordinance.
The DOL investigated these wage complaints that alleged Hertz/Thrifty failed to pay the minimum hourly wage upheld by the ordinance between January 1, 2014 and September 30, 2015. To further avoid the inconvenience, uncertainty, and expense of litigation, the parties agreed to settle the case for almost $2 million, one of the largest awards in recent history for the state of Washington’s DOL. This lawsuit and settlement comes after the Supreme Court of Washington upheld an ordinance stating that employers and employees conducting business at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport should be entitled to the current hourly minimum wage of $11.
Even within the same state there are sometimes variations on the minimum wage requirements. It can vary from one city or county to the next. For example in New York State, New York City has a higher minimum wage rate than the rest of the state. It is always good to know what the law requires the minimum wage rate be in your area.
Unfortunately, laws are only as good as their enforcement and statistics show that these ordinances or local wage laws aren’t being enforced as much as they should be. If you have any questions or concerns about being paid properly at your place of employment please give our firm a call. Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP handles a wide variety of employment issues and wage and hour claims. We offer a free phone consultation and have attorneys and representatives available to discuss your situation. We can be reached at (212) 300-0375. For more information, please visit our website.