Employment Law
Knowledgeable Representation When Your Employment Rights Have Been Violated
All employees are guaranteed the rights of fair compensation, privacy, and the ability to work in a harassment and discrimination-free environment in the United States, and New Jersey and Atlantic City are no exceptions.
Employees often find that disputes with their employer places them in an uncomfortable and difficult position. In fact, many do not speak up and assert their rights for fear of retaliation or being demoted or fired for doing so. Despite having misgivings, you should speak up when employers are engaging in unlawful or discriminatory practices, especially if the acts are endangering many more employees than just yourself.
Employers are required to adhere to all local, state and federal laws and regulations regarding their operations and treatment of employees. Unfortunately, many employers do skirt the law in various ways and reasons. But as an employee, those same laws and regulations, and many others, provide you protection and an employment attorney can assist you in holding your employer accountable for their actions.
How Can a Burnham Douglass Atlantic City Employment Law Attorney Help Me?
Our skilled Atlantic City employment law attorneys represent employees to ensure our clients have a voice, are treated fairly, and their rights protected, while also working to make certain their employers are in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations. You should consult our team of knowledgeable employment law attorneys if you are experiencing:
- Discrimination over your race, gender, sexuality, religion, or disability, including being pregnant
- Harassment in the workplace based on your race, gender, sexuality, religion, or disability, or experiencing sexual harassment from anyone, including your coworkers
- Retaliation for attempts to assert your rights or report violations
- Unlawful termination of your employment
- Disputes over your employment contract or attempts to force you to sign employment-based documents
If you are experiencing problems in any of these protected areas during your employment, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible. There are potential limitations to when you can file certain claims and waiting too long to consult an attorney may prevent you from being able to prove your employer committed the violations, especially if they were one-time offenses and not an ongoing situation.
When your rights at work are being violated, our team of dedicated Atlantic City employment lawyers at Burnham Douglass will fight for your rights of protection and to recover potential damages you may deserve for your mistreatment and hostile work environment.
Could I Be Fired for Speaking Up?
While New Jersey is an Employment-At-Will state – meaning employers can terminate their employees for any reason – you cannot be fired if that reason unlawfully violates your guaranteed rights and protections.
It is against the law in New Jersey for employers to terminate your employment for discriminatory reasons or out of retaliation for asserting your protected actions, such as reporting illegal behavior or practices at your place of employment. Such actions are considered wrongful termination.
Wrongful termination typically applies in cases of firing related to discrimination or retaliation. Employers cannot legally terminate employees based on their race, gender, age, national origin, religion, sexuality, or disability. Nor can employers retaliate against “whistleblowers” for reporting illegal practices, activities, or behaviors, or for utilizing protected actions such as requesting family leave or seeking workers’ compensation benefits.
Workers who believe they have been wrongfully terminated may be able to file a claim against the employer and potentially eligible to be reinstated, back pay, lost benefits, pension, vacation, sick leave, retirement, attorney’s fees, and potential punitive damages for pain and suffering.
If you believe you were unlawfully fired, you may be able to file a wrongful termination claim under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination and the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. Contact the Atlantic City Burnham Douglass team of skilled employment attorneys today to discuss your options.
Do You Represent Clients in Other Areas of Employment Law?
Absolutely! In addition to wrongful termination, our team is knowledgeable and skilled in many other areas of employment law in Atlantic City, including:
- Employees are protected from discrimination under the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which forbids e/employment-law/mployers to discriminate the staff on the basis of race, gender, age, disability or religion. If you were terminated, demoted, denied a promotion, or received unfair treatment on the basis of any one of these protections, speak to an employment lawyer about protecting your rights and holding your employer accountable.
- In New Jersey, employees who work more than 40 hours per week are entitled to time and one half per hour by the New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law, establishes the wage and overtime rates for all workers. Our attorneys work to enforce your rights if your employer is violating the law and have many years’ experience representing clients with claims of unpaid overtime wages. Illegally withheld benefits, and denial of valid leave and vacation requests.
- Both men and women can experience sexual harassment in the workplace by an employer, manager, supervisor, co-worker, client, or customer. Acts such as unwanted advances, sexual language or jokes, fondling, display of sexually explicit photos or graphics, and others are unacceptable behavior that is legally forbidden in the workplace under numerous state and federal protection laws. If you are currently or have experienced sexual harassment at your place of work, contact one of our experienced employment law attorneys to help you assert your rights from sexual harassment.
- Employees who are experiencing difficulties performing their job duties due to repeated harassment and other unwanted or unlawful behaviors can file a claim against the employer for condoning a hostile work environment.
- Many workers are fearful of being terminated, demoted, or harassed in retaliation if they report unlawful or unfair treatment they experience or see in their place of employment. You have the right to work in an environment that provides you with pride, fulfillment and inspiration, and it is against the law for employers to retaliated over your attempts to assert your rights.
- At Burnham Douglass, we help clients in all aspects of employment, including disputes over your employment contracts. By representing and advising you, we will help you review, negotiate, and resolve disputes to protect your best interests.
- Protecting workers and stopping fraud and corruption in American businesses and corporations has long been a major focus of the federal government, resulting in many laws and regulations governing employers. Whistleblowers who report violations, unethical, and criminal behaviors by their employers are protected from retaliation and the False Claims Act. For many, it takes great courage to stand up against a business or corporation and hold them accountable. Our skilled legal team will help you do so and ensure your rights are protected in the process.
Burnham Douglass’ top-notch attorneys have served clients with employment law matters throughout Atlantic City and the state of New Jersey for over 70 years. We deliver customized legal representation with each individual client, and we pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of service, including after-hours and weekend consultations when necessary.
Atlantic City Employment Law Attorneys at Burnham Douglass Advocate for Clients Experiencing Rights Violations in the Workplace
Speaking up for yourself and asserting your rights for violations you have experienced in the workplace is difficult for many employees to do for fear of worse harassment, demotion, or termination. At Burnham Douglass, we understand the difficulty, but we also understand – and have witnessed – the bravery and sense of accomplishment that our many clients feel for successfully “doing what’s right” for themselves and often countless others in their workplaces.
Our skilled Atlantic City employment law attorneys will provide you with personalized representation to fiercely protect your best interests and build a strong case against your employer. Call us today at 856-751-5505 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Located in Marlton and Northfield, New Jersey, we service clients in Atlantic City, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, Trenton, Northfield, Linwood, Pleasantville and Burlington County, Atlantic County, Camden County, Gloucester County and Mercer County.
