If any employe is paid by his or her employer less than the minimum wages provided by section 4 of this act¹ or by any regulation issued thereunder, such worker may recover in a civil action the full amount of such minimum wage less any amount actually paid to the worker by the employer, together with costs and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court, and any agreement between the employer and the worker to work for less than such minimum wage shall be no defense to such action. At the request of any employe paid less than the minimum wage to which such employe was entitled under this act and regulations issued thereunder, the secretary may take an assignment of such wage claim, in trust for the assigning worker and may bring any legal action necessary to collect such claim, and the employer shall be required to pay the cost and such reasonable attorney's fees as may be allowed by the court.