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Representative Kevin Elmer (R) from Christian County has filed legislation for the fourth time that, if passed, will protect workplace whistle-blowers from facing termination or retaliation from their employers. The Whistleblower Protection Act is an important step toward protecting employee rights; however, its chance of passing both chambers and being signed into law is dubious given its past history. The…
A motor carrier in Missouri has been ordered to pay a former employee back wages and damages of $100,994.24. A Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigation showed that the truck driver suffered a work-related back injury in October of 2008 and notified supervisors at the trucking company that he was seeking medical attention for the condition. Later on, the employer…
A former Christian County Judicial Center employee has reportedly filed suit because he allegedly never received his final paycheck after being fired in Aug. 2012. He also alleges that, when he went to collect his final paycheck and turn in the county property he still had in his possession, the deputy he spoke to refused to give him a copy…
Missouri employees may be interested in a new announcement by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The federal agency announced on Dec. 5 that whistleblowers will now be able to reach out online to OSHA investigators about potential workplace violations. OSHA says the new system for filing online complaints will provide whistleblowers with another form of communication that preserves their…
Employees who are released from a job for any reason often hope to be treated fairly by former job supervisors when it comes to references. The fact is, there are few federal or Missouri-specific laws in place that prevent employers from telling the truth about what they know about a former employee, no matter how damaging it may be to…
Kansas City residents may have heard that protests over fair wages are being held across the country at metropolitan Walmart stores in cities like Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and Sacramento. Employees and labor unions are firmly requesting the company to provide a wage of at least $25,000 annually and more full-time positions. Protesters have also alleged that the company has…
The former building commissioner of a town in Missouri filed a lawsuit against the town, claiming that she was wrongfully terminated from her job because of gender discrimination and as retaliation for acting as a whistleblower on some problems related to construction. The federal suit alleging the violations of her employee rights seeks reinstatement of her job, back pay, compensation…
A former treasurer of Bowling Green has brought a lawsuit against her former employer alleging that her termination was a breach of contract. The city has denied the claim and has made a motion to change venue. The former treasurer is claiming that the city of Bowling Green neglected to follow its own guidelines when terminating her. She is alleging…
The Briggs Forensic Center in Fulton is the oldest public hospital for the mentally ill west of the Mississippi River. It is also in such a severe state of disrepair that it may be a violation of the patients’ and workers’ rights to be inside the structures. The hospital, collectively referred to as Fulton State Hospital, occupies a 95-acre tract…
The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that a Kansas City cafe’s former owner owes more than $450,000 in back wages, liquidated damages, legal fees and expenses to six undocumented Guatemalan workers. The workers had filed suit claiming that their employer had violated federal wage and hour laws by failing to pay them minimum wage and…