Hollywood Faces More Overtime Complaints

Hollywood, CAIt’s no secret that filming movies and television shows can add up to long days, but a new lawsuit alleges that one Hollywood secret involves unpaid overtime. Hollywood has been in the news recently following intern lawsuits alleging unpaid wages, but now California overtime lawsuits are being filed alleging violations of overtime laws on the part of Hollywood producers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter (4/4/14), a former video editor who worked on multiple shows from October 2012 to February 2013 alleges he was not properly paid for overtime. Furthermore, plaintiff Philip J. Pucci alleges the company he worked for, 495 Productions, failed to meet minimum wage laws, failed to pay wages in a timely manner and did not provide proper statements to employees.

The lawsuit alleges that Pucci was paid $1,250 per week, but only received overtime if he worked more than 60 hours in a week.

Meanwhile, a nursing home in California faces allegations that it failed to pay workers overtime and retaliated against an employee who cooperated with investigators. Ventura County Star (4/1/14) reports that the US Department of Labor filed a lawsuit against Oxnard Manor Healthcare Center for forcing employees to work off-the-clock, making them deduct hours from their time cards and failing to pay overtime wages when employees worked more than 40 hours in a week.

Furthermore, the nursing home is accused of misclassifying some workers as exempt from overtime. The nursing home and its administrator are named as defendants in the lawsuit. A lawyer representing them said they deny any wrongdoing.

The lawsuit seeks unpaid overtime, unpaid wages and damages. It also seeks reinstatement for the employee who was allegedly fired for cooperating with investigators.

Large and small businesses can face allegations of overtime pay violations. McDonald’s reportedly faces lawsuits in three states - including four lawsuits filed in California - alleging the company did not properly pay employees for overtime work, that it forced employees to work off-the-clock and managers removed employee hours from time cards. The lawsuits also include claims that employers denied their workers proper meal and rest breaks.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employees who are not exempt from overtime pay must be paid at a rate of one-and-one-half times their regular pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek. Companies that fail to do so could face unpaid overtime lawsuits, and be forced to pay back not just the unpaid overtime but, if necessary, punitive damages as well.