I have been in business management for over 20 years. I take pride in reducing turnover rates to almost non-existent by focusing on employee engagement, training, fair wages, and a safe and healthy working environment. I have worked for massive corporations and also privately owned small businesses.
You have rights. Use them. I just received news from the state that my family is being awarded tens of thousands in fines from illegal business practices from another employer. To reach this point I dug deeply into labor and wage laws, learned the process, and filed a complaint. I was aware of these regulations, but had not previously gone through the process of filing a complaint citing all of that information, which can be a lot to identify which specific aspect of a law I know was violated and to then provide evidence substantiating the violation. It took a long time, but we had documentation to show that not only were violations present, but that a willful intent to violate the law was shown within our evidence.
Keep all your pay stubs, text messages, emails(the more electronic communication the better, it's easily saved).
I have never once had an employee do similar with the businesses I have run, and unfortunately there have been times where I had to fire people, almost always it was for theft. I run an honest business, I want honest employees.
Each area within which you live has laws regarding these issues, in the U.S., the statutes are easily found online, even if they may seem a bit daunting to read. It takes time, and the best time to read them is before you need them. Look up your rights. As a business manager I want you to know your rights, because even trying my best I may miss something and if it's brought to my attention, things change.
For the people who would not do the same in that position, fuck them. Hit them where it hurts, through the regulatory institutions and hit their wallets. We received the highest possible judgement in our favor, these business owners are getting slapped in the face by the state on so many counts we could not have proven our case more effectively. It's because I know the laws through research and I did not use a lawyer to do so, even though that might be your best option if you don't have the time or ability to represent yourself.
Don't just talk about how something seems wrong, investigate if it legally is, and act. Nothing will change otherwise.