CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Officials with the North Carolina Department of Labor are facing a problem they have never seen before.

A growing number of workers are claiming they are not getting paid by their employers.

Stallings Salvage had employees rioting outside of the Union County business after the workers said they hadn’t been paid for weeks in August. Then, this week, Academy at Prosperity Point day care employees complained checks are bouncing and they can't keep up with their bills.

But because the workers have jobs, they don't qualify for unemployment benefits. One legislator said they have little recourse.

"They can go to the Employment Security Commission and file for an opportunity to receive a benefit, (but) that’s only if they have received a 20 percent reduction in the amount of wages they normally receive," said state Sen. Bob Rucho.

Just because you apply, doesn't mean you will get relief. Financial aid is determined on an individual basis.

The next step would be to call the Department of Labor, which investigates such claims. A response could take weeks or even months.

Unemployment claims already have put North Carolina in debt. The state has filed for $1 billion from the federal government to pay for unemployment above and beyond the state reserves.

Click to visit the Wage and Hour Bureau of the Department of Labor.