Dealing with Mistreatment at Work? Talk to Experts in Alabama Employment Law

Jobs can be stressful, but they shouldn’t be a source of fear and anxiety. If you’re experiencing mistreatment from your employer or workmates, you have every right to protect yourself and your job.

When you need a trustworthy Alabama employment lawyer, talk to an experienced attorney who doesn’t bury you in legal jargon or treat your case as just another in a stack.

At Punchwork Law, our employment law attorneys fight for our clients, ensuring their employers never step out of line again. And if they do? We’ll push for fair compensation.

Talk to us if you’re a worker in Alabama who has experienced:

• Having your hours cut in half after reporting a safety violation or harassment
• Losing your job for requesting medical leave or refusing to do something illegal
• Feeling forced to sign paperwork you don’t fully understand or face some form of retaliation
• Notice others receive fair or even special treatment and suspect you don’t because of your race, gender, national origin, or other protected characteristic

In any of these situations, and more, you can speak up and defend yourself. And we’re here to help back you up. Do you think you’ve experienced workplace harassment? Contact Punchwork Law and schedule a free consultation with our Alabama employment law firm today.

Employment Law in Alabama

Employment law is all about keeping a balance in the relationship between employers and employees. One of the most significant aspects of US employment law is that most states (including Alabama) are at-will employment states, which means either employer or employee can terminate their relationship with the other for any reason or no reason at all.

However, at-will employment doesn’t mean employers can fire you for shady reasons. If your termination violates federal laws against workplace discrimination, retaliation, and other worker protections, then you have every right to fight back.

Some of the most important employment laws include:

• Title VII of the Civil Rights Act: Designed to protect individuals from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin, and it’s enforced by the EEOC.
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Ensures that workers with disabilities are protected in the workplace.
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA): Safeguards employees who are 40 and older from age-related discrimination.
• The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA): Allows eligible workers to take job-protected leave for medical or family reasons, as outlined by the U.S. Department of Labor.
• Also, the Equal Pay Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and several other important laws help promote fairness in the workplace.

The state of Alabama follows and enforces all of these laws, providing you with plenty of protection from employers if they seek to abuse their positions in your relationship with them. However, who should you go to in order to ensure they follow these laws?

The key enforcement organizations you should turn to include:

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
• The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
• The Alabama Department of Labor

Filing your claim may involve one or more of these agencies, which can seem daunting. However, we at Punchwork Law have experience with these organizations. Our skilled attorneys can help you navigate the best route to building a strong claim and ensure your case is handled effectively, so you can pursue legal action if and when employers violate your rights.

Types of Employment Law Cases We Cover

Punchwork Law’s team has worked on numerous cases in all areas of employment law. We’ve provided dedicated legal representation to numerous clients facing serious workplace issues, including sexual harassment, negligence, and retaliation for reporting workplace safety violations.

To help you understand whether your case fits within our expertise, here is more detailed information on the types of cases we help clients with the most:

Wrongful Termination

A wrongful termination doesn’t cover every single scenario where someone is unfairly fired. There are times when there’s nothing we can do (). There are others where we can absolutely prove your employers have broken federal law. Some examples include provably firing you for:

• Your protected characteristics, including your race, gender, age, disability, religion, or national origin
• Requesting medical leave
• Filing for workers’ compensation
• Reporting discrimination or harassment
• Being pregnant or having recently given birth

When you are suspiciously let go after an injury or soon after you’ve received offensive or inappropriate comments about your personal traits, that’s what our Alabama employment attorneys are ready to help with. We’ll investigate the details of your case, gather evidence of your wrongful termination, and secure the justice you need.

Discrimination

Sometimes, your employers may use different terms, such as “restructuring” or “poor performance,” to justify your loss of hours on the job. But when you can prove your record is spotless and that you’re being treated differently than your other coworkers, like for having a significantly different race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion, then that’s when you should talk to a lawyer.

Under federal anti-discrimination laws, employees are protected from being mistreated based on their:

• Race or Skin Color
• Sex or Gender
• Religion
• Disability
• Sexual Orientation
• National Origin
• Age

Cases that involve these types of discrimination typically require you to go through the EEOC. While it may take some time to get a response from them on your complaint, Punchwork Law knows how to keep up the pressure. We’ll ensure that your case is heard and that you have the opportunity to defend your rights.

Harassment

Don’t assume it’s just a matter of rudeness or poor mental health. If your boss or coworker is treating you badly, and it seems to be based on who you are, you have a right to speak up. Especially if their treatment is serious and persistent enough to create a hostile work environment.

Cases of harassment include:

• Sexual harassment: These include requests for sexual favors and unwanted advances in and outside the workplace.
• Racial harassment: Racial slurs, offensive jokes, physical assaults, or exclusion in the workplace based on your race or ethnicity.
• Disability-related harassment: Intrusive comments about one’s medical condition, gossip, and refusal of reasonable accommodations for disabilities.

Retaliation

According to the EEOC, retaliation is one of the most frequently reported workplace issues by employees over the past decade. Retaliation is when you, as an employee, are punished for doing something you are legally allowed to do. That includes reporting illegal discrimination or filing a complaint against your workplace for unsafe working conditions.

Examples of retaliation against your honest actions include:

• Termination from your place of work
• Suddenly losing hours or always getting the “worst” shifts
• Receiving a demotion
• Being isolated or reassigned to a different role or location

If it seems like your employer has turned against you for simply doing what you feel is right, you may have a case of retaliation. And if you do, ensure it’s a strong case with the help of committed Alabama employment lawyers, like our team at Punchwork Law.

Why Clients Choose to Hire an Alabama Employment Lawyer from Punchwork Law

Experiencing workplace harassment and discrimination is definitely more than enough for one person to handle. We also understand how devastating it can be to lose your livelihood due to unfair reasons.

At Punchwork Law, we try to be more than just a team of lawyers, but also a group of friends you’d sit down with at your kitchen table and confide in. Here’s why so many of our clients have enjoyed working with us:

• We hear you out. No judgments. At our firm, everything is genuine, honest, and transparent.
• We speak in plain terms. No confusing legalese with us. You’ll get straight answers and confident reassurance in your case.
• We do the heavy lifting. You can focus more on your day-to-day life. We’ll take care of gathering evidence, filing complaints, negotiating, and other related tasks so you don’t have to.
• We fight like hell. Unfair treatment of hardworking employees, regardless of their background, really gets under our skin. We utilize our legal expertise to help you push back and secure the compensation you deserve, all while fiercely defending your rights.

Lastly, we also offer no-risk consultations. Even if you’re not sure you want us to represent you, we’d still like to talk and help you determine your next steps. Contact us to schedule your free consultation with a trusted Alabama law expert today.