Do you know what your employee rights in PA are? Are you aware of the laws regarding minimum wage, overtime, wrongful termination, or discrimination and harassment? As an employee, have you ever raised your eyebrow at your employer and wondered if certain situations were even legal? At the Law Offices of Thomas More Holland, we don’t want you to wonder about your employee rights, we want you know your employee rights with certainty!
The Basics: My Employee Rights in PA
Personnel Files – Employee rights in Pennsylvania allows individuals to look at their personnel file once a year, at a time convenient to their employer. This allows any employee to address any erroneous information, and correct it with their Human Resources Department. This law applies to part-time, full-time, permanent, or temporary employees.
Minimum Wage – Pennsylvania has established a minimum wage that matches the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. One statute legally permits Pennsylvania employers to pay employees that receive tips less than minimum wage at an amount of $2.38 an hour. However, if an employee cannot garner enough tips within their shifts to compensate for the rate established by the federal minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference.
Overtime – Pennsylvania overtime laws require employees be paid for any hours they work over 40 hours. The compensation for overtime is 1 ½ times the regular rate of pay. Though in special circumstances, some employees are exempt from overtime pay.
Wrongful Termination – Pennsylvania is an at-will employment state. This means an individual may be terminated by an employer for any reason, without establishing “just cause” or providing any warning. However, PA employee rights forbid termination for discriminatory purposes. PA employee rights do not allow you to file a wrongful termination claim.
Discrimination and Harassment – Employee rights in PA do not allow for discrimination in regard to gender, race, religion, disability, age (over forty), or national origin. According to PA state employee rights, discrimination against pregnant women is considered sex discrimination.
Thomas More Holland attorneys want you to know the facts about your employee rights in PA. If you feel you’ve been wrongfully terminated, suffered from workplace discrimination, or experienced harassment in your workplace, please contact us today for a consultation at (215) 592-8080.
Employee Rights in PA | PA Employee Rights