Your Voice for Justice in Ohio Employment and Civil Rights Matters
LGBT Discrimination is Now Against the Law Until June 15, 2020, it was unclear whether employers could discriminate against members of the LGBT community. It was never specifically stated in federal law if this form of discrimination was against the law and so, decisions made by the courts varied from state to state. In the summer of 2020 though, the…
Three of the Most Common Wage and Hour Violations For most businesses, the biggest expense in the budget is the cost of labor. As such, some employers may try to circumvent federal and state laws surrounding minimum wage and overtime pay as a way to reduce expenses. In some cases, employers may not understand how the laws work and fail…
How to Tell if You are an Employee or Independent Contractor People do not always consider whether they are an employee or an independent contractor, but there are important legal differences between the two. Today, more and more people are entering into temporary or contract work, and the lines between the two types of workers can become blurred. Whether you…
Wage Theft Prevalent in Ohio A few years ago, the Economic Policy Institute released a report showing just how prevalent wage theft is in Ohio. According to that report, workers receive less than minimum wage approximately 217,000 times every year. Each of these violations cost individual workers approximately $2,800. While it is difficult for anyone to lose this amount of…
Understanding the Laws That Protect You From Workplace Harassment No employee should be subjected to unlawful harassment in the workplace. Federal and state laws both prohibit certain types of harassment, which are a form of employment discrimination. There are statutes that protect employees from harassment from co-workers or from their employers. The laws in Ohio largely mimic the federal laws,…
COVID-19 Update On March 22, 2020, Ohio Governor DeWine issued an Order requiring all persons living within the State of Ohio not engaged in essential work or activity to stay at home. The Order, available here, goes into effect at 11:59 P.M. on Monday, March 23, 2020. The “Shelter in Place” Order recognizes there are certain professional services that are essential…
Can Your Employer Perform Background Checks on You? Some employers conduct background checks as part of their hiring practice, while others may ask an employee for a background check after hiring them. When asking to run these checks, employers usually want to ensure that their employees have good credit, particularly if they are working with money. Just like many other…
Can You Get Fired for Posting to Social Media? There are two constants in many people’s lives. Those include work and social media. Sometimes, the two might intersect. Employees may post pictures of themselves at work, or they may simply log onto a social media platform such as Facebook to vent about their work frustrations. Other times though, employees may…
How to Ask for FMLA Leave Employers and employees alike often wonder how workers should ask for FMLA leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, many employees have the right to request up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave if they are suffering from a serious medical condition, or to care for a family member who is suffering from…
What Serious Health Conditions are Covered by FMLA? Under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), certain employees have the right to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave when they or a family member has a certain medical condition. However, this condition must be serious and minor aches and pains, such as colds, earaches, and headaches do not qualify. So, how…