COLORADO EMPLOYMENT LAW
Employment Law, or Labor Law, includes a variety of matters involved in the employer-employee relationship. Sexual harassment, wages and hours, wrongful termination, discrimination at the workplace, hiring and termination practices and disability law are among a few of the issues in the employment law context. If you have an employment law complaint you should bring the complaint to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.
A Colorado employment attorney should be hired to deal with certain complex matters in employment law such as discrimination, wrongful termination, and harassment. However, if you have general questions about Colorado employment law you should bring your concerns to a Colorado employment attorney.
Why Hire A Colorado Employment Attorney?
State and federal law are intricately related in Colorado employment law and wrongful termination. Understanding the relationship between the two is integral to a successful outcome in your employment law case, and must be meticulously researched and convincingly asserted. A Colorado employment lawyer can assist you with filing a claim for unpaid wages with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, asserting a wrongful termination claim, filing a discrimination claim against your employer, or providing you with advice integral to determining whether or not you have a valid claim.
In particular, wrongful termination claims can be stressful and challenging to assert. It can be difficult for an employee to have to deal with his former employer, and a Colorado employment attorney can be of great assistance by communicating with your former employer and advising you on how best to obtain recovery in your case. A Colorado employment lawyer can also explain the benefits and rights you can expect under Colorado law.
Wrongful Termination In Colorado
Colorado is an “employment-at-will” state, meaning that an employer can terminate a worker whenever he pleases, for whatever reason, as long as the reason is not illegal. However, employees who have employment contracts can only be terminated for reasons listed in the contract. In addition, an employee can leave his employment at any time for any reason or no reason at all.
When the termination of a worker is for an illegal or discriminatory reason, the worker can file a “wrongful termination” claim in Colorado. Illegal reasons to fire a worker in Colorado include:
Talk to a Colorado wrongful termination lawyer about any wrongful termination questions you may have.
If an employer fires an employee based on discriminatory reasons, it is wrongful termination. Wrongful termination is when someone qualified for a position is fired or not hired because of a discriminatory factor, such as age (over 40) or disability. If pregnancy is seen as a disability by your boss, it is considered an unlawful reason for termination. Other illegal reasons for termination include termination based on race, sex, national origin or religion. Consult a Colorado wrongful termination attorney if you think you have a wrongful termination case.
Employee Wage/Hour Concerns in Colorado
The Colorado state minimum wage is $7.36 an hour as of January 1, 2011. Colorado employers must post a notice specifying regular paydays and must pay employees at least once a month. A payday can be no more than 10 days following the end of each pay period.
Talk to a Colorado employment lawyer if your boss does not pay your wages. Complete and submit a “Demand for Payment of Wages” with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. If you have questions about how to file your complaint for unpaid wages, discuss your situation with a Colorado employment attorney.
If your employer has not paid you for overtime hours you have worked, discuss your options with a Colorado employment lawyer. Overtime in Colorado is when a worker works in excess of 40 hours a week, or 12 hours a day. Employees who work overtime are paid time-and-a half for overtime hours. Extra pay for overtime is mandated by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and imposed by the United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division.
Contact a Colorado employment attorney if you are confused about or need help filing your claim for unpaid wages or overtime, or if you have general questions about employee wages in Colorado.
Colorado Employment Benefits
Colorado law does not mandate that employees be given paid vacation days, medical benefits, life insurance, sick leave, or other benefits, although employers are free to provide these benefits. Colorado law does require, however, that workers be given a 30-minute meal break for every five hours of consecutive work. Private employers in Colorado are not required to provide short-term disability for their employees. Even though Colorado does not require employers to provide maternity leave to workers, 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave are mandated under federal law in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Disability law in Colorado encompasses employees who get injured at their jobs or who become ill because of an occupational disease. The compensation these workers receive is dependent on the kind of injury the worker suffers and the classification of his disability. But, as previously noted, employees who become disabled or ill as a result of an accident not connected with their jobs are not covered by Colorado disability law.
If you are suffering from an occupational injury or illness, talk to a workers’ compensation lawyer about your case and chances of recovery. Additionally, you should consider discussing your case with a Colorado employment lawyer if you need an explanation of how federal and Colorado state laws work together in an employment case.
Colorado Employment and Labor Law Statutes
Colorado Revised Statutes - Labor and Industry
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