In any workplace, employees need their employers to treat them equitably. This is not always the case, and you may be one of those people who feels that the behavior of either your employer or your co-workers is such that you can no longer continue to work there. This might be because of harassment and discrimination, or may simply be that your employer is unfair and doesn’t pay you fairly or according to your legal rights. In any of these situations, if you believe the problem to be severe, you should consider meeting with employment lawyers in Rochester to discuss your predicament and be more fully informed of your rights.
If you feel you’ve been discriminated against at work and are working in a hostile environment, you’d may want to discuss this with your employer. If you have already complained to your employer and nothing has changed, you’d be within your rights to talk to an attorney about filing a law suit. This is not an easy process and you may need to present your case in court. However, there would probably be mediation in advance and you could receive compensation from your employer. Getting good legal advice would be essential before continuing.
As an employer, when do you need a labor lawyer?
Obviously it’s not just employees who have problems, but also employers. If you are threatened with a lawsuit because of mistreatment of a staff member or have violated the law by insisting on overtime that is unlawful, you may have a lawsuit filed against you, and will need the help of a lawyer. Sometimes you may want to fire a union member and expect that there might be trouble, which is another time that you’d need advice. Should there be talk of a strike that you believe would seriously impact your profitability, this is a reason that you may need to get legal advice.
Engaging an employment lawyer
For both employees and employers you should be aware that labor lawyers charge by the hour under most circumstances. However, they may consider taking your case on a contingency basis when they will be paid only if a case is successful. In this situation they will take a percentage of the award/settlement. Sometimes an employee will join with others in a class action, but every case would need to have full consultation before a strategy was decided upon.
