Texas Workforce Commission Collected $4.7 Million in Unpaid Wages
It takes months for Texas Workforce Commission to complete an investigation of a wage claim. See San Antonio Express News story. TWC enforces the Texas Payday Statute and other laws. They also investigate wage claims. They receive 14,000 claims each year by workers who were not paid. But, as I have explained to many potential clients, do not expect much from TWC. .jpg){kind=small}
Even if they conduct an actual investigation, they typically do nothing more than send a letter to the employer finding that the employer owes a certain amount of unpaid wages. But, TWC does some good for workers. In 2009, they found 5,977 claims to be valid and collected $4.7 million in unpaid wages. See TWC's summary of the Texas Payday Statute here. Note that contrary to frequent practice, the employer is not authorized to deduct items from a worker's paycheck or commissions unless the deduction is authorized by law or by signed agreement of the worker.
Texas workers can also file a claim with the Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division if the claim involves violation of minimum wage or overtime violations.
