As you may know, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulates and enforces the treatment of American workers on the federal level. At the same time, all states have individual employment law statutes as well. Most of the time, employees have a pretty good grasp of how these laws affect their employment.
Ohio’s wage and hour laws differ somewhat from most other states. We believe that all workers in the state should learn what rights they have as an employee. Perhaps more importantly, they should also learn about the rights that they do not have. We have provided a few examples below:
- Rest breaks: Most states require that employees receive mandatory rest breaks. In our state, it is just the opposite. Rest breaks are not required under Ohio employment law. Employers that do provide rest breaks must pay the employee during that time if the break lasts for 20 minutes or less.
- Tipped workers: Unlike some other states, Ohio may pay employees that receive tips less than minimum wage, which is $8.55 per hour. Currently, the pay rate for tipped workers stands at $4.30 per hour. However, the rate of pay plus tips the employee earns must equal $8.15 per hour.
- Overtime pay: Fortunately, the state does require employers to pay their staff members for any overtime they work. Ohio follows federal laws in this matter, which means workers earn 1 and 1/2 times their regular pay rate for each hour exceeding 40 in a workweek.
Why is it important to know these things? First, it empowers you to know if you are being mistreated in the workplace and to seek a legal solution. Second, it helps you avoid pursuing a pointless employment law claim when no laws have been violated.
As always, we urge you to learn more about these and other employment matters. You can find more information by continuing to explore our website.