Maryland FMLA and Leave Discrimination Lawyer
Do you have questions about your employment rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) or other laws? If so, you should contact an experienced Maryland FMLA and leave discrimination lawyer for professional guidance about your legal rights.
The FMLA is a federal law that allows covered workers to take unpaid leave from work for qualified reasons and not have to worry about losing their job while on leave. For some employees, state and local laws may provide additional rights.
Advice from a skilled employment lawyer could be crucial to understanding what laws apply to your particular situation and what legal options may be available to you, so contact our offices as soon as possible for individual attention.
Family and Medical Leave in Maryland
Under the FMLA, covered employees are able to take unpaid time off from work for family caretaking or health-related reasons. The FMLA is intended to be employee-friendly and easy to follow. When the law works correctly, employers quickly provide information and forms about rights and responsibilities under the FMLA to employees who request leave and make sure that they understand their rights and responsibilities.
Unfortunately, not all employers follow the rules. In those situations, affected employees who need a better understanding of the law should seek independent legal advice from an accomplished Maryland FMLA lawyer.
The FMLA allows eligible employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year for serious health conditions (involving themselves or an immediate family member) or for bringing a new child into the family (including adoption or fostering of a child.) In passing FMLA, Congress intended to create job and benefits protection for employees needing to be away from work.
While on leave, employers must allow employees to continue to earn their benefits. Returning employees have the right to continue in their prior position, or one substantially identical, without any loss of status.
In addition to FMLA, Maryland state law requires certain employers to provide leave benefits under the recently passed Healthy Working Families Act. Employers with 15 or more employees must provide paid sick and safe leave, while organizations with fewer employees must provide unpaid leave. The amount of leave available is based on the number of hours worked.
As with the FMLA and many other laws, employers cannot discriminate or retaliate against an employee for exercising their state sick and safe leave rights. A seasoned lawyer could advise about how this and other laws may apply to individual circumstances.
FMLA Violations
Although the leave process goes well for many employees there are many ways that employers can violate the law. Some of these include:
- Retaliating against an employee for taking leave
- Discouraging an employee from taking leave or requiring too much notice
- Cutting off medical benefits during leave
- Pressuring an employee to return to work too early
- Failing to reinstate to the same or similar job
When any of these happen, employees have the right to bring a complaint to the U.S. Department of Labor. They may also seek compensation through a private civil lawsuit.
FMLA and other employment law cases involve many rights and procedures, so having experienced legal help from an FMLA and leave discrimination lawyer in Maryland could be essential for anyone who needs to understand their rights or how to enforce them.
Let a Maryland FMLA and Leave Discrimination Attorney Assist You
FMLA and the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act provide important job security for employees who need to take time off from work for family or medical necessities.
If you believe that your employer acted against you in denying or limiting your leave, getting legal advice from an experienced professional can be helpful.
A well-versed lawyer could explain your rights to you, identify any possible violations, and advise about actions you may be able to take to enforce your rights or seek compensation.
Every case may involve a different set of facts, so getting professional advice from an employment lawyer can be vital to pursuing a successful case. Contact our offices today to learn more about how a Maryland FMLA and leave discrimination lawyer could help.
