Workers who have disputes with their employers over wages are now able to file their claims electronically.
The Idaho Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Section implemented an online claims filing application this week that will save claimants time while letting the department handle wage claims more efficiently.
The application, financed with $25,000 authorized by the Legislature in 2008, is on the department’s Web site – http://labor.idaho.gov/wh – and can be accessed from anywhere with Internet connection by clicking the link "Click here to file a claim for unpaid wages."
In addition the Wage and Hour Section provides toll-free filing assistance from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (800) 843-3193.
Once a claim is filed, the Wage and Hour Section will initiate an investigation and contact both parties in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
Since the onset of the national recession 16 months ago, the Wage and Hour Section has been contending with record numbers of claims and inquiries at the same time manpower has been cut because of the state budget crisis. Wage and Hour is the only program in the Department of Labor financed by general state tax revenue.
During 2008, the Wage and Hour Section handled nearly 1,400 claims for unpaid wages and collected over $710,000 in wages employers owed their workers but had failed to pay. The section fielded over 60,000 phone calls from both employees and employers seeking help with various provisions of Idaho labor law.
It takes an average of three and a half weeks to resolve a wage complaint.