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Do you know or suspect that your employer might owe you unpaid wages? Whether they’ve been “forgetting” to pay you for overtime, miscalculating your tips, or refusing to provide the benefits they’ve promised, Michigan law protects your right to get paid in full. These violations can add up fast and leave you short on compensation you’ve rightfully earned.
At Fagan McManus, P.C., our lawyers hold employers accountable for this kind of wage theft. When you come to our law firm for help, we can review your situation, outline your legal options, and help you demand the pay you are due. Contact us today to set up your free consultation and learn more about how we can make a difference in your Wyandotte wage and hour case.
Michigan law sets the minimum wage for most workers statewide, and it’s higher than the federal rate. As of 2026, the minimum wage increased from $12.48 to $13.73 per hour for most Michigan workers. However, there are some exceptions.
Youth workers (those aged 16 or 17) earn 85 percent of the minimum rate, or $11.67 per hour as of 2026. The minimum wage for tipped employees, equal to 40 percent of the full minimum wage, also increased to $5.49 per hour in 2026. However, employers may only pay this rate if tipped workers earn at least $8.24 per hour in tips to make up the difference. If they don’t, employers of tipped workers are on the hook for the full $13.73 per hour wage.
If your pay falls below these rates, you may have grounds for a wage claim.
Under Michigan law, hourly workers must get paid 1.5 times their regular wage for any time they work beyond 40 hours in a single week. That rule applies whether the worker is full-time, part-time, or temporary. If your paycheck doesn’t account for those extra hours, you may have a claim.
Employers often try to avoid paying overtime by misclassifying workers as exempt or by calling them independent contractors. Others ask workers to clock out and keep working, stay late without pay, or answer calls off the clock. None of these practices is legal.
Some workers go along with these policies because they don’t realize Michigan’s overtime laws apply to them. Others stay quiet because they fear retaliation. If this sounds familiar, you should know that you have rights, and you don’t have to put up with wage theft. If you’ve worked overtime or off the clock without fair compensation, you should talk to a lawyer about your legal options.
Michigan’s Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act requires employers to follow their own written policies when it comes to fringe benefits. These benefits include things like vacation pay, sick time, holiday pay, bonuses, and commissions. If a company’s policy promises these benefits, it must follow through in a fair and consistent way.
Employers aren’t required to offer these benefits, but once they write benefits policies down in employee handbooks or contracts, they become enforceable. If you’ve met the conditions set out in writing, your employer must pay you what you have earned. If you don’t receive these benefits as promised, that’s a potential wage violation, and you have the right to take legal action.
Many wage and hour violations happen subtly over time, especially in jobs that involve long hours, tips, or unclear pay policies. Here are some common examples of wage and hour violations in Wyandotte:
If any of these situations sound familiar, an attorney can help you determine whether you have a claim.
Michigan’s Payment of Wages and Fringe Benefits Act limits the amount of time you have to file a claim for unpaid wages and similar violations. In most cases, you must file wage and hour claims within 12 months from the date the wages were due. If your employer retaliates against you for trying to collect those wages, you have 30 days to file a retaliation claim.
If you miss these deadlines, you could lose your chance to recover the compensation you’re owed. The good news is that you don’t have to wait until you leave your job to take action. You can file your claim even if you still work for the employer. If your paycheck is short, late, or missing money you earned, you should contact a local law firm for guidance on your next steps.
If you live or work in Wyandotte, you have more than one option for handling a wage and hour dispute. You can file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity through its Wage and Hour Division. This agency investigates claims under Michigan wage laws, including cases involving minimum wage violations and unpaid wages, overtime, or fringe benefits.
You can also file a lawsuit in court, which may be the best move if your case involves more than one violation or if you want to recover additional compensation beyond your missing wages. As you weigh your options, it’s a good idea to speak with an experienced employment law attorney to understand which route gives you the best shot at a fair payout.
If your employer hasn’t been paying you what you’re owed, the attorneys at Fagan McManus, P.C., are ready to step in. Our lawyers handle wage and hour disputes across Michigan, and we know how to deal with employers who break state or federal pay laws. Whether your employer has been withholding overtime pay, misclassifying you, or delaying your paycheck, we know how to take action.
When you contact our law firm for help, we’ll take the time to review your situation, explain what the law says about it, and clarify whether you have a claim. If we believe you do have a claim, we’ll walk you through your options and explain what makes sense based on your goals. Then, we’ll get to work investigating, gathering evidence, and pushing for results through negotiation or legal action.
Our attorneys have taken on several large employers with powerful legal teams and won meaningful recoveries for hourly workers, salaried professionals, and tipped employees. We’ve done this for decades, and we bring the same wealth of experience to every case we handle. If you believe your employer has underpaid you, misclassified you, or withheld what you’ve earned, let our lawyers review your case and help you chart a clear path forward.
Still have questions about your wages, hours, or benefits? A short conversation with a lawyer from Fagan McManus, P.C., can help you understand where you stand. If you haven’t been getting paid what you’ve earned, we want to hear your story. Contact our law firm today to talk to us in a free case evaluation.
