Ohio labor laws are something every business owner and employee should know. These laws don’t just protect workers for fair wages, fair leaves, and other things. These Ohio labor laws also ensure that businesses are fulfilling their legal obligations to their employees and the government.
Ohio labor laws are greater than the federal law when protecting employees in the state. It includes several aspects such as antidiscrimination requirements, continuing health coverage for minimum wage earners, overtime pay and more. As an employee, you need to learn these things to know what your rights are. Furthermore, as a business owner, you must understand these laws to avoid legal repercussions.
OH Leave Requirements
Every state has different leave requirements. Here are some of the required leaves according to OH employment laws.
- Jury duty leave
- Military leave
- Bereavement leaves for state employees
- Vacation and holiday leave for state employees
OH Jury Duty Leave
A jury duty leave means that a court summons a person and thus must leave his post for the time being to attend court proceedings. Failure to attend court hearings as part of the jury means a warrant of arrest. Additionally, the OH employment laws require employees to fulfill their jury duty leave without exchanging their other paid leaves.
OH Crime Victim Leave
Another required leave under OH labor laws is the crime military leave. This means a crime victim and their families cannot be punished for activities related to the case’s proceedings. However, the employer can withhold the pay while the case is going on. Crime victim leave allows employers to testify as witnesses in a criminal case.
OH Family Military Leave
Family military leave is for parents, partners, or legal guardians of a member of the uniformed services. Ohio labor laws give them unpaid military leave. However, employees must give a written notice provided by a military representative, have worked in the company for over 12 months, and have not taken any other kinds of leave except sick or disability leave.
OH Pay Practices
There are various sides to pay practices. This includes minimum wage, overtime pay, severance pay, and others. Furthermore, every state has differing pay practices, but all these aims to give employees fair pay.
Ohio’s minimum wage is $9.30/hour for workers earning over $314,000 annually. Those who earn below that are paid a minimum of $7.25/hour. For overtime pay practices, Ohio labor laws dictate that employees are paid 1.5x their usual rate for their work beyond the 40-hour week.
OH Termination Laws
Ohio is an at-will-employment state. This means that workers can be fired for lawful reasons at any given time. However, this is different for employers who signed an agreement with their employees. As protection, termination laws in Ohio do not accept termination that violates public policies. An employer who feels wrongly ended can sue their employee and ask for compensation.
This is an easy guide to Ohio labor laws, but this does not, in any way, qualify as legal advice. While you can familiarize yourself with the terms, it’s still better to check in with your area for all the laws and statutes you must adhere to.