If you have worked on the oilfield, you might have worked long hours and received high paychecks. The oilfield industry, when work is booming, can be lucrative for workers who are up to the task. For many workers, the pay checks were so high that they may not realize that they could have been entitled to receive more money. However, workers may not always be aware that they could be entitled to receive time and a half pay for overtime work they may have put in. This law protects a wide range of workers, and it doesn’t matter how much your hourly pay rate was. As high as your paycheck might have been, it could potentially have been even higher, if you are entitled to oilfield overtime pay.
Were you owed overtime pay? According to the United States Department of Labor, under the Fair Labor Standards Act, workers who are not exempt are entitled to receive time and a half pay for any hours they work over a 40-hour workweek. While workers are not entitled to receive overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, if a worker puts in longer than a 40-hour workweek, he or she entitled to receive time and a half for overtime. Employers are permitted to calculate the start of the workweek as they wish, but they must be consistent in their logging of hours. Employers, for example, are not permitted to take the average number of hours you worked over two weeks to calculate pay, unless you are an exempt worker.
Issues can arise when oilfield companies misclassify workers, wrongly declare oilfield workers exempt from overtime pay, or fail to pay workers the overtime pay they may be entitled to receive. Are you owed unpaid overtime pay? Did you put in 40-hour plus weeks but didn’t receive overtime pay for the extra hours you worked? Moore & Associates are oilfield overtime attorneys in Texas who may be able to help you determine whether you are entitled to this pay. Our firm can fight to help you receive the money you may be owed. Some workers have found that they are entitled to thousands, tens of thousands, and in some cases, hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid overtime.
Could You Be Entitled to Receive Thousands of Dollars in Oilfield Overtime Not Paid in Texas?
Were you classified as a day-rate or salaried worker when you worked on the oilfield? Were you classified as an independent contractor? Were you told that you were exempt from time and a half pay for overtime you worked? Were you paid a per date rate or were you paid a per job rate, and then found yourself putting overtime for which you were not paid? Even if you were told you were not entitled to overtime pay, it has come to light that many oil and gas companies have violated the Fair Labor Standards Act and failed to pay oilfield workers the overtime pay they may have been entitled to receive. There have been several strategies oil and gas companies have used to try to avoid paying overtime or to try to fail to give workers the benefits that they may deserve. If you worked overtime when you worked for an oil or gas company, you may be entitled to seek compensation for the overtime you were not paid in Texas. Moore & Associates are Texas oilfield overtime not paid attorneys who may be able to help you with your claim.
Three Things to Do If You Were Not Paid Overtime on the Oilfield in Texas
If you worked over 40 hours a week on the oilfield and were not paid overtime, there are several steps you can take right now to protect your rights. More workers are fighting back when they learn that they should have received overtime and some have even won class-action lawsuits in the millions of dollars for unpaid overtime claims and settlements. Here are three things you can do today to get paid the overtime you may deserve:
- Find Documentation of the Hours You Worked. Find your pay stubs that documented the hours you worked. The pay stubs will show whether you were paid time and a half for any hours you worked over 40 hours per week. Some workers were also asked to wait around unpaid. Standby and wait time should always be paid. Travel time between work sites should also be paid. If you find that you were clocking in and out, you may have a case where hours you worked were not compensated. If you were required to attend meetings after hours, attend safety classes for which you were not compensated, or required to do paperwork at home, all of this time may be eligible for compensation and may be counted for time and a half overtime pay. Finding documentation for this can sometimes be a little more challenging, but a qualified unpaid overtime lawyer in Texas, like Moore & Associates may be able to assist you in gathering the documentation you need to prove your case.
- Find Out How You Were Classified. Were you treated as an independent contractor? Were you treated as a manager? Sometimes oil companies improperly classified workers to pay them less. If you were classified as a manager, you should have had managerial duties. If you were classified as an independent contractor, there are several standards your terms of employment must meet in order for the classification to be valid. Moore & Associates are oilfield unpaid overtime lawyers in Texas who may be able to help you determine whether your classifications were valid.
- Contact an unpaid oilfield overtime lawyer in Texas today. Navigating a claim for unpaid overtime can be complicated. An unpaid oilfield overtime lawyer in Texas like Moore & Associates can help you navigate the legal process and can fight to help you get the claim you may deserve under the law.
When companies cut corners, or when they violate the law, they should be held to account. If you were not paid the wages you may have deserved, you have the right to fight back. Moore & Associates are overtime not paid lawyers in Texas who may be able to help you seek compensation for the hours you worked and fight for the time and a half overtime pay you may be entitled to receive. There have been many reports of oilfield workers successfully winning claims for unpaid overtime. Could you be one of them?
How to File a Claim for Unpaid Overtime
Whether you currently work for the oil companies or have moved on, you may have the right to file a claim for unpaid overtime. If you currently work for an oil company, the company is not entitled to retaliate if you seek money for time and a half overtime pay. Moore & Associates are oilfield unpaid overtime attorneys who may be able to help you seek damages for your lost wages, unpaid overtime, and other damages. Contact our firm to file a claim today.
