Whether you are protected under the law will depend on the size of your employer and how long you were with the employer. The Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA") offers unpaid leave if you need to care for a child as you described above, but it only applies if (1) your employer employs... View More

Depending on the circumstances, you may have a claim for disability discrimination and/or failure to accommodate under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination such as termination based on a disability. However, COVID-19 may... View More

Generally, the payment of PTO upon termination will be governed by your employee handbook. If your handbook is up to date and says PTO for individuals who work your job will be paid out upon termination, then you should receive your remaining unpaid PTO upon termination.

Assuming your medical conditions would not prevent you from performing your job, you may have a claim for perceived disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA offers protection to individuals with disabilities and to individuals whose medical conditions do not... View More

The answer to this question depends on whether you are actually able to take the half-hour lunch break in addition to your 15 and 20-minute paid breaks. Breaks of 20 minutes or less must be paid, but breaks of half and hour or longer can be unpaid, as long as you are completely relieved of any work... View More

There is nothing inherently unlawful about the above situation. Since Maryland is an at-will employment state, you can be laid off or terminated at any time and for any reason or no reason at all, as long as the reason isn't discriminatory. So in your situation, the answer to your question... View More

People who voluntarily quit their jobs usually are not entitled to unemployment benefits. However, an exception to this rule exists if you can prove that a reasonable person would be forced to resign under the conditions of employment you were exposed to. To make this argument, you should list out... View More

Ohio is an at-will employment state, meaning you or your employer can terminate the employment relationship at any time and for any reason (as long as the reason isn’t discriminatory). It sounds like you have been fired here based on what happened. As for unemployment, your employer can challenge... View More

Unfortunately, in at-will employment states, your employer can terminate your employment at any time and for any reason, as long as the reason is not discriminatory (defined as based on your race, sex, age, disability, or religion). While this situation certainly seems unfair, the reason for your... View More

Offer or welcome letters like the one you described are typically not considered binding employment contracts, even if it specifies your rate of pay or hours per week. Unfortunately, the law doesn't offer much protection if your employer decides to reduce your rate of pay or change your... View More

There aren't any federal laws that govern or regulate maternity leave, so this sounds like something you will need to work out with both employers individually. If you qualify for the maternity leave you will need for both companies, and each company is aware that you work another job, then... View More

The Fair Labor Standards Act only requires that employees be paid at least minimum wage for each hour worked. However, if your employer has admitted it has made a mistake here, it may be worth it to request the issue be fixed in writing, both to your supervisor and to your HR department.

The policy you've described above is unlawful under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). While employers need not pay you for breaks lasting 30 minutes or more, if your break is cut short, you must be paid for time you are performing work. In your situation, the 30 minutes you receive for... View More

The Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") is the federal law governing tip pooling agreements. While tip pooling is generally permissible, your employer can only require you to pool your tips with other employees who customarily receive tips (for example, other servers or bartenders). Your... View More

It sounds like you may have a claim for failure to accommodate under the Americans with Disabilities Act ("ADA"). Disabled employees who work for companies with 15 or more employees are entitled to request reasonable accommodations from their employer. While your employer doesn't... View More

Once you put in your two weeks' notice, your employer is not required to wait until the two weeks are up to terminate your employment. Whether you are entitled to your vacation days likely depends on the policy set forth in your employee handbook. If your handbook states that unused PTO will... View More

The situation as you've described it sounds like a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, particularly if you are paid by the hour and your employer's deductions result in a loss of overtime hours worked. How did you find out about this? Are you allowed to ask for your clock-in and... View More

As long as you are paid for all the hours you work, then this type of schedule is permissible. If you are paid by the hour, your employer must pay overtime, at the rate of one-and-one-half times your regular hourly rate, for all hours worked over 40 in a seven-day workweek. So, if this schedule... View More

The answer to your question will likely depend on whether you will be paid by the company for the remaining two weeks. If your employer has agreed to pay you for this time even though you're not working (either by agreement or as a severance benefit), then you will not be eligible for... View More

While your situation certainly sounds unfair, federal law only requires that employees be paid at least minimum wage for each hour worked. However, if your employer has a discriminatory motive for paying you less than other employees (i.e. if you are paid less based on your race, sex, age,... View More