Public Employee Rights
A public employee is anyone employed by a municipal, county, state, or federal agency or college. All employees have rights when it comes to employment, including the right to privacy, fair compensation, and freedom from discrimination. A public employee has the right to work in safe and healthy work conditions and environments.
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Employment Considerations
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All public employees who qualify must be taken into consideration for promotions from an employer. An employee cannot be passed up for a promotion because of his race, national origin, gender, age, disability, religious beliefs or marital status. The equal employment opportunity requires employers to consider all employees for a job renewal, promotion or other workplace benefits regardless of their personal characteristics.
Wages
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A public employee has the right to be paid for any labor she has provided an employer. The amount an employee is paid depends on her type of employment. Most employees have the right to be paid at least the federal minimum wage amount of $7.25. However, in states where the minimum wage amount is higher than the federal amount, the public employee has the right to be paid the higher of the two. Some employees are not eligible to receive minimum wage pay, such as farm workers, independent contractors, railroad and agricultural employees.
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Time Off
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Public employees who need time off from work because of family or medical reasons have the right to take a leave of absence from work. The public employee has the right to 12 weeks of unpaid time off during a 12-month period. An employee may take a leave of absence due to personal illness (or the illness of a family member) or due to the birth or adoption of a child.
Worker's Compensation Benefits
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A public employee has the right to worker's compensation benefits for any on-the-job injury he suffers. The employee has the right to receive wage and medical benefits for all eligible claims. If the employee needs emergency medical treatment, he has the right to visit an emergency room or physician for immediate treatment. After an employee has been off from work due to an on-the-job injury for at least seven consecutive days, he has the right to receive wage compensation for his wage loss.
Drug-Free Workplace
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Employers have the right in some states to submit employees to a drug test. Those employers that choose to test employees may not violate the rights of employees, meaning that an employee chosen to submit to a drug test by an employer may not be selected based on age, race, gender, national origin or any other personal characteristic. The employer must treat all applicants and employees equally when it comes to drug testing.
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