Minnesota Employment Lawyers

Wages and Compensation

You work hard for your employer, and you deserve to receive full compensation for your labor. There are certain laws in place that are meant to ensure you do. Unfortunately, your employer may be illegally violating these laws to keep money that should be yours.

If this has happened to you, an experienced attorney can determine whether your employer owes you additional compensation for your work and evaluate your legal options for seeking financial recovery. Don’t wait another moment to recover the compensation you have earned. Turn to the legal team at Fabian May & Anderson, PLLP for dedicated advice and advocacy. Contact us for an initial case review to discuss your legal rights to wages and other employment compensation.

Why Choose an Employment Law Attorney from Fabian May & Anderson, PLLP?

Has your employer failed to pay you the compensation you have earned under applicable state and federal law? If so, choose a wage and compensation attorney with Fabian May & Anderson, PLLP to help you demand justice because:

We make it our mission to help workers like you understand their rights and the legal process available to you to seek justice.
Our employment law attorneys have decades of experience advocating on behalf of workers whose rights have been violated in the workplace.
Our firm diligently provides the kind of support and service you need, following your lead to help you achieve your goals. We offer compassionate counsel while aggressively advocating for your rights.

Understanding Wage and Compensation Laws

State and federal wage and compensation laws ensure that workers receive the pay they have earned for their labor. Wage laws cover matters such as minimum pay, overtime compensation, and payment practices. Under federal law, the Fair Labor Standards Act governs wage and compensation rules for many employers. It entitles workers to receive at least minimum wage and overtime pay at one-and-a-half times the worker’s regular pay rate for all time worked over 40 hours in a workweek, unless the worker qualifies for an exemption from the overtime pay rules. The federal Equal Pay Act also prohibits sex/gender based disparity in pay.

State law also contains similar wage and compensation protections for workers. In Minnesota, workers must receive pay for all hours their employers require them to work, including preparation time, on-the-job training, required meetings, and opening and closing times. Employers may not deduct pay for breakage, cash shortages, tools, or uniforms, except in limited circumstances. Employees also have a right to receive a written statement each time they receive pay, which lists all deductions from the worker’s compensation, such as taxes.

Furthermore, wage and compensation laws provide legal protections for workers who suffer retaliation by their employer for complaining about suspected wage violations.

Workers who do not receive their earned compensation may pursue legal action against their employer to recover their unpaid wages, commissions and bonuses.

Common Wage and Compensation Violations

Some of the most common examples of wage and compensation violations by employers include:

Unpaid wages: Unpaid wages may occur when an employer fails to keep track of a worker’s hours or when the employer requires a worker to perform job-related tasks off the clock, such as preparing workstations, opening/closing the workplace, or answering work emails/messages at home.
Overtime violations: An employer may commit overtime violations by not paying non-exempt workers one-and-a-half times their ordinary wages for any time over 40 hours they work in a workweek, either due to failure to keep track of an employee’s hours or misclassifying a worker as exempt from overtime rules.
Minimum wage violations: Employers may pay employees less than minimum wage ($11.13 per hour as of 2025 in Minnesota), often by paying weekly or monthly stipends that result in an hourly wage that is effectively below minimum wage or by failing to make up shortfalls in tips for tipped employees.
Misclassification of employees: Employers may try to get around wage and compensation laws by misclassifying workers as independent contractors or by classifying workers as exempt from overtime compensation rules when they do not meet any of the exceptions, such as the executive, administrative, professional, computer employee, or highly compensated employee exemptions.
Tip pooling violations: Employers may violate state and federal laws governing tip pooling by allowing untipped employees to receive distributions from the tip pool or withholding tip pool money.
Illegal deductions: Employers may unlawfully deduct pay from an employee’s paycheck for breakage, cash register shortages, uniforms, or equipment, or as a form of discipline for employee misconduct.

Your Rights as an Employee

Under state and federal wage and hour laws, you have the following rights:

The right to full, timely payment for all hours worked in a pay period.
The right to receive at least the minimum wage and time-and-a-half for all overtime worked (if not exempt from overtime laws).
The right to accurate wage statements provided with your pay.
The right not to suffer retaliation for complaining about wage and compensation violations, such as unpaid wages, lack of overtime pay, or gender-based pay disparities.

How Our Firm Can Help You

The legal team at Fabian May & Anderson, PLLP can help you seek financial relief for your lost pay by:

Investigating your claims to obtain evidence that can help build your case, such as your time sheets, employment contract (if any), job description, and pay records.
Reviewing your employment status and records of the hours you worked to determine what pay you should have received, and evaluating whether you may have a legal claim against your employer.
Filing complaints with state and federal labor agencies as necessary to begin your legal claims.
Filing wage and hour lawsuits against your employer, whether individually or potentially as part of a class, if your co-workers have also experienced wage and compensation violations.
Vigorously pursuing the financial recovery you deserve, including your unpaid wages plus interest, through a settlement negotiation or by taking your claims to trial.

Contact Us Today to Discuss Your Case

If you have not been paid all of your earned compensation, or you suspect that your employer has improperly withheld your wages, get the legal advocacy you need to stand up for your rights. Contact Fabian May & Anderson, PLLP today for a confidential consultation with a Minnesota employment law attorney to learn more about your legal options for seeking proper compensation under state and federal law.

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