Is It Illegal to Fire Workers in Cleveland and New York City?
We get this one a lot – “is it illegal to fire me?” Short answer: probably not. Unless you have an employment contract, you are an employee at will. This means that your employer can fire you at any time for any reason. It is perfectly legal for your employer to fire you even though […]
I’m about to get fired … what should I do?
We get this call all the time. You have been with your company for a while and are starting to see the writing on the wall. You know you are about to get fired – what should you do? First, unless you have a contract, you are an employee at will. Thus, your employer can […]
What is Sexual Harassment? NYC & Cleveland Lawyers Explain
Not all harassment is sexual harassment and not all sexual conduct is sexual harassment. So then, what is sexual harassment? Sexual harassment is defined as: Let’s break this definition down a bit. You will notice that we have underlined some key terms in the definition above. We explain each of these terms below. Questions? Concerns? […]
Asked To Resign in Cleveland or New York City? What You Should Do
It happens from time to time: an employer offers an employee an opportunity to resign instead of being laid off. Seems like the employer is doing a nice thing – allowing the employee to “save face” by resigning rather than going through the indignity of being let go. But appearances can be deceiving. All else […]
Sexual Harassment Settlements in New York and Privacy
Will Settlement of My Sexual Harassment Law Claim in New York Be A Secret? The answer is it can be, but only if you want it to be. It is very common for employers to want the resolution of a sexual harassment law issue in New York to be kept confidential through a provision in […]
I Think My Employer is Retaliating Against Me—What Should I Do?
What should you do if you think your employer is retaliating against you In the employment law context, retaliation is generally defined unfair treatment because you participated in an activity protected under the law. This means that you may have “opposed” an unlawful practice by telling your employer that you thought you were being treated […]
What Protections Are Available for Whistleblowers?
What is a Whistleblower? Whistleblowers have come up a lot in the news recently, but what does it actually mean to be a whistleblower in cities like Cleveland or New York City? Under the law, a whistleblower is someone who identifies behavior by his or her employer that the whistleblower genuinely believes may be wrong […]
New York Pregnancy Leave – What Are Employees Entitled To?
In New York, pregnancy leave is not guaranteed by law. Accordingly, there is no obligation for an employer to provide its employees with any amount of leave for pregnancy. In other words, there is no provision for New York Pregnancy Leave. Unless the company has a policy of providing such leave, they are not required […]
Breastfeeding breaks under New York law
Is my employer required to provide me with breastfeeding breaks under New York law? Yes, if you are a nursing mother employed in New York, then your employer is required to provide you with Breastfeeding breaks under New York law. Specifically, Section 206(c) of the New York Labor Law states that employers must allow breastfeeding […]
Maternity Leave in New York
Although there is no explicit law regarding maternity leave in New York, there are several avenues by which employees (both men and women) may obtain time off to care for a newborn child and/or during a pregnancy. Maternity leave in New York encompasses two different types of time off: family leave and medical leave. Family […]