Idaho
The great northwest state of Idaho boasts over 83,600 square miles of terrain and is home to more than 1.5 million people, per a 2008 census estimate. Idaho is dominated by an agrarian economy based to a large extent on potato farming. The state is also home to significant mining operations – due to its geologic diversity, Idaho has been nicknamed the Gem State. Timber and development industries also thrive here. Idaho’s largest city, the state capital Boise, is by no means a bustling metropolis. But notwithstanding the state’s lack of substantial hi-tech or banking industries, Idaho attracts thousands of people a year to visit its pristine wilderness preserves and national forests.
The Idaho Department of Labor administers the state’s labor laws. In addition to providing career resources, the DOL offers assistance for individuals with wage and hour claims, minimum wage violation complaints, and sexual harassment and discrimination claims. Though the state has a reputation for being socially conservative and independent, Idaho enforces strict statutes barring discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, age, and other factors.
As more and more Hispanic emigrants have entered the state over the past decade to take minimum wage agricultural and farming jobs, incidences of wage and hour violations have gone up. Often, neither employer nor employee knows about Idaho’s wage and hour statutes; thus, few legal actions are taken. If you or a coworker has experienced a wage and hour violation while working on an Idaho farm, you may be able to collect unpaid wages owed as well as other damages.
Find out more about your rights under Idaho’s labor laws at the DOL’s website, or contact Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum to take action.