Labor laws were put in place to equalize the playing ground between employers and their employees. These laws forbid employers and unions from engaging in unfair labor practices, and establish guidelines for good-faith bargaining. We deal with a broad area of employment law that controls how employers must treat their:
- Employees
- Former employees
- Applicants
Employment issues
Employment law covers a variety of issues between the employee and employer. Some of these areas include:
- Affirmative action
- Pension plans
- Retirement
- Occupational safety and health regulations
- Discrimination
- Sexual harassment
Labor attorneys deal mainly with the relationships between employers and unions.
Labor laws give employees the right to unionize and allow both employers and employees to engage in certain activities in order to get their demands fulfilled. Some examples of these activities are:
Strikes
Injunctions
Lockouts
Picketing
An employment attorney can also educate businesses on how to reduce their risk of employment litigation and what to do, in order to comply with Florida laws. We can also protect workers should their rights be being violated.
Workers’ compensation
Florida’s workers’ compensation seeks to provide medical and lost wage benefits to injured workers, regardless of whose fault it was. This means that, whether the employee or employer is responsible for the injury, the injured worker will be compensated.
Florida is ranked as one of the most dangerous states for work-related injuries. Insufficient employee training and improper safety procedures are the top reasons for worker injuries. Common on-the-job injuries include:
- Orthopedic injuries (knee and shoulder tears, back and ankle sprains, etc.)
- Burn injuries (chemical and electrical-related)
- Neurological injuries (nerve damage from back and neck injuries)
- Heart attacks and hypertension
- Serious injuries such as brain and spinal cord injuries (from falls and other impact)
- Amputation
Discrimination
Federal and state anti-employment discrimination laws prohibit discrimination in the work place. Sadly, we know it still exists. We believe that everyone is entitled to a right to work in safety and security, free from discrimination. Besides making an environment hostile, discrimination can prohibit you from being a productive employee. Some occurrences of discrimination include:
- Sexual harassment
- Age, race or gender discrimination
- Religious or national origin discrimination
- Sexual orientation discrimination
- Pregnancy discrimination
Wage, hour and overtime disputes
Every employee has the right to expect fair compensation for the work they accomplish. While employer errors do occur, habitual mistakes or other wage violations are unacceptable. Some common wage and hour law violations include:
- Minimum wage violations
- Failure to pay overtime
- Misclassification of employees as exempt from overtime
- Failure to compensate employees for missed breaks
- Denial of legally-mandated meal or rest breaks
- Failure to pay compensation in a timely fashion during employment or at termination
If you have been victimized by unfair labor practices, please schedule your initial appointment with us.
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