Texans may find some extra cash coming their way as the Department of Labor has reported $11 million in unclaimed back wages, with more than 15,000 individuals in the state eligible for these funds. According to FOX 7 Austin, workers are often unaware of their owed wages, and challenges in locating these individuals mean many do not receive what they're due. Rosalinda Huffman, the agency's assistant director in Austin, highlighted the difficulty in tracking down workers who have moved, leading to a substantial amount of unclaimed money.
The Austin American Statesman provided details on how those owed wages can use the online tool Workers Owed Wages (WOW) to search for their names and claim their funds. However, even with this tool, getting the cash to rightful owners has been a laborious process, the cash has been from various employers in the state like Mr. Taco, Dairy Queen, and Abescape, which have all been cited for owing their workers.
For Texans curious about the possibility of being owed money, the WOW program provides an online search tool that matches company names with current and former employees, facilitating a potential payday for around 1,000 Texans on average, as per FOX 7 Austin. The Labor Department maintains these funds for up to three years before they revert to the U.S. Treasury.
