Compliance Posting Requirements – Maryland Employers

September 8th, 2006 Posted by Hannah

As like most states, employers in Maryland are required by law to keep current Maryland posters posted in the workplace.  The regulations state that the posters need to be in a spot that is accessible by all employees, so places like the employee break room, work room or mail room work.  Other possible places are those where employees tend to gather before, during and after work. 

Maryland posters are very beneficial to the state’s employees.  This is where they can find information regarding their labor rights as outlined by the state and federal labor laws.  The posters also inform employees what they need to do if they feel that their rights have been violated and which state and federal agencies they need to contact to file claims.  Employers also benefit from having these posters around.  They can use them as a quick reference to make sure they are upholding their employees’ rights and to make sure that company policies do not go against pertaining labor laws. 

The state of Maryland has many different labor laws that should be posted on the Maryland posters.  These include information on OSHA, the Wage and Hour Act, health insurance, Equal Pay for Equal Work, wage payment and collection, unemployment insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, child labor and discrimination.  Maryland posters also need to highlight several federal laws that pertain to the workplace as well: USERRA – Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law, Federal Minimum Wage, Employee Polygraph Protection Act, Family and Medical Leave Act and OSHA – Job Safety and Health Protection.

Labor laws change frequently – sometimes even annually.  Because of this, it’s important for employers to make sure that they have the most current laws on the posters that they have posted in their workplace.  Not having current posters is against posting regulations just as not having any posters is also against state posting regulations.

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Maryland (MD) Sexual Discrimination in the Workplace

August 31st, 2006 Posted by Hannah

Maryland sexual discrimination in the workplace is outlined in Maryland State Code.  In Maryland, employers are prohibited from discriminating against their employees on the basis of sex.  According to state law, “employers” are those who have fifteen or more employers (the same as federal law) except for private membership clubs.  “Employees” under state law are those individuals who are employed by employers (as defined above) except for people elected to public office.

Under state law, employers cannot hire, refuse to hire, fire or determine employment conditions such as terms and compensation because of an individual’s sex. Furthermore, employers must treat pregnancy, childbirth and pregnancy-related conditions as they would any other temporary disability.

If you think you’ve been discriminated against by your employer, you can file a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Human Relations.  You’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire as well as provide the commission with a signed, written complaint within six months of the alleged discriminatory act. 

An investigator will then gather information relevant to your case to determine if there is reasonable cause to believe that your rights have been violated, you and your employer will enter a conciliation phase to try to negotiate a settlement.

If you decide you don’t want to go through the Maryland Commission, you can file your complaint through federal law as well.  You can contact the  Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and either go through their investigative process or you can request a “Right to Sue” letter so that you can take your complaint through the court system.

While this gives brief overview of Maryland sexual discrimination law in the workplace, it’s up to employers and employees to stay informed of the full law.  Employers can help with this process by posting a Maryland Complete Labor Law Poster in the workplace.

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