Ohio Fair Wage & Labor Laws
- Ohio laws govern fair wage provisions in the state.ohio flagge symbol image by Marty Kropp from Fotolia.com
In the state of Ohio, Title 41 of the Ohio Revised Code governs the regulation of labor and industry within the state. The laws state the rights and obligations of both employees and employers; areas covered include minimum fair wage standards, safety in the workplace and collective bargaining. - All employers in the state of Ohio must pay the minimum fair wage to all employees. Chapter 4111.02 of the Ohio Revised Code states that the wage rate is set by Section 34a, Article 2 of the Ohio Constitution. The minimum wage is set annually by the Ohio director of Commerce on January 1 each year and must increase by at least the rate of inflation.
If an employee is asked to work overtime, the employer must pay the employee one-and-a-half times the employee's hourly wage rate for overtime work. Chapter 4111.03 defines overtime as any time worked beyond forty hours in any given week. Agricultural workers are not covered by this overtime provision, and county workers may choose to take time off instead of payment for overtime work. If county workers do choose to take time off, rather than be paid for overtime, they must be given one and a half times the number of hours of overtime that they have worked. - Employers have an obligation to provide a safe environment for their workers to work in. The employer must ensure that the location remains safe for workers and any visitors by adopting safe working practices and procedures. Chapter 4101.11 even states that the hours that employees are asked to work can affect the safety of the work environment. This means that employees cannot be asked to work the number of hours that would would be detrimental to their own health.
Employees have a duty of care to ensure that the workplace remains safe. Employees are not allowed to remove, or change the location of, any safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers and employees must also follow all safety procedures adopted by the employer to ensure safety in the workplace. - All public employees have the right to join, or not join, any employee organization, including a union. Chapter 4117.03 also states that employees have the right to be represented by an employee organization in any dealings with their employer. An individual employee does have the right to approach the employer directly, and any grievances presented may be settled directly, so long as the settlement does not contravene any agreements already reached through collective bargaining.
Wage settlements, and other matters affecting the terms and conditions of employment may be subject to collective bargaining, and matters of discipline, such as reasons for suspension, demotion and transfer of employees may all be decided by collective bargaining between the employer and the employee organization.
