Brooklyn Employment Lawyer

Losing a job, facing harassment or not getting paid for the hours you worked can turn your life upside down. If you work in Brooklyn and something at your job does not feel right, a Brooklyn employment lawyer at Borrelli & Associates, P.L.L.C. can help you understand your rights and your options.

Our firm’s primary purpose is protecting workers’ rights in the face of wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination and other unfair treatment. That includes conduct that can lead to being fired, demoted or transferred. We offer a free consultation, so you can talk through what happened before you decide anything. Call (516) 248-5550.

Employee Rights in Brooklyn Workplaces

Brooklyn’s workforce is as varied as its neighborhoods. People here work in hospitals and home care, warehouses and delivery, construction, restaurants, shops, schools and offices. Whatever your job, New York State law gives you protections at work. Because Brooklyn is part of New York City, the city’s own employment laws may apply to you as well.

New York City has its own Workers’ Bill of Rights. It covers topics such as paid safe and sick leave, the right to organize, rights for freelance workers and a safe and healthy workplace.

Workers looking for an employment attorney in Brooklyn, NY come to us with many kinds of problems. Our practice areas include:

Employment discrimination and harassment based on age, disability, race, religion, creed, national origin, sex, pregnancy, marital status, sexual orientation and sexual identity
Hostile work environment claims
Wrongful termination
Wages and overtime
Whistleblower protection and retaliation
Employment contracts, severance and separation agreements, including executive compensation
Employee benefits
Family Medical Leave Act issues
Workplace safety concerns under the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Layoffs without proper notice under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
Civil rights and constitutional law claims

If you were let go and are not sure where to start, our guide on what to do if you have been unfairly fired walks through the basics. If you have been offered a severance package, it is wise to have a lawyer review your severance agreement before you sign. These agreements often ask you to give up your right to sue.

Discrimination and Harassment Claims

A state law and a city law do much of the work of protecting Brooklyn employees from discrimination. The New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) applies across the state. The New York City Human Rights Law adds its own protections for people who work in the city, including Brooklyn. In many ways, New York’s anti-discrimination rules go further than federal law.

In general, these laws make it illegal to treat you worse at work because of traits such as your race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, family or marital status, or citizenship status. New York State law also protects employees from unfair treatment because of their hairstyle. Learn more in our article on hairstyle discrimination.

Discrimination is not always obvious. It can look like being passed over for a promotion, kept off better assignments or held to stricter rules than your coworkers. Our article on how to prove discrimination in the workplace explains the kinds of evidence that can matter.

Harassment can include slurs, offensive jokes, unwanted touching or pressure for dates. Unwelcome conduct like this can create a hostile work environment. If you are dealing with sexual harassment at work, write down what happened, when it happened and who saw it. Save any texts, emails or messages. Then talk with a lawyer about your options.

Unpaid Wages, Overtime and Wage Theft

Wage theft happens in every kind of workplace, and it is not always easy to spot. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law, many employees have the right to at least the minimum wage for every hour worked and to overtime pay for long workweeks. Common wage problems include:

Being paid less than the minimum wage, or a flat salary that does not cover all your hours
Not receiving overtime pay
Working off the clock before or after your shift
Unlawful deductions from your paycheck
An employer or manager keeping part of your tips
Being labeled an independent contractor when you are treated like an employee
Late or missing paychecks

Some jobs come with extra rules. For example, New York law gives domestic workers rights that include overtime pay and protection from discrimination and harassment. Tipped workers and construction workers have their own protections too.

Some employers pay workers in cash and keep few records. Being paid that way does not erase your rights. Our article on being paid in cash explains more. If your employer missed payroll, you may have ways to recover what you are owed.

Keep copies of pay stubs, schedules, time records and any messages about your hours. An unpaid wages attorney serving Brooklyn workers can use these records to help figure out what you may be owed.

Retaliation and Whistleblower Protection

Speaking up at work takes courage. The law generally protects employees who complain about discrimination, harassment, unpaid wages, or unsafe or illegal practices. You might raise a concern with your human resources department, or you might talk with a lawyer first.

Retaliation happens when an employer punishes you for that kind of protected activity. It can include:

Firing you or forcing you out
Demoting or transferring you
Cutting your hours, pay or shifts
Sudden write-ups or poor reviews after a complaint
Threats or intimidation

New York gives workers who raise pay concerns specific protection. You can read more about retaliation under NY Labor Law on our blog. Whistleblowers who report illegal activity or dangers to health and safety may also be protected under state and federal laws.

If you think you are being punished for speaking up, write down a timeline: when you complained, who you told and what changed afterward. Retaliation and whistleblower claims have filing deadlines, so do not wait long to get advice.

Talk to a Brooklyn Employment Lawyer

Call (516) 248-5550 to schedule a free consultation and discuss your situation with our team. Our attorneys include partners Michael J. Borrelli, Alexander Todd Coleman and Andrew C. Weiss.

Before you call, gather what you can:

Pay stubs, schedules and time records
Emails, texts and other messages
Performance reviews and write-ups
Termination letters or severance offers

Do not worry if your records are incomplete. Just tell us what happened, and we can talk about your options. If you have been handed an agreement to sign, we can help you understand its terms and whether it makes sense to negotiate.

Se habla español. Spanish-speaking workers in Brooklyn are welcome to call. For information in Spanish, visit our Spanish-language website at www.516abogado.com.

No employer or company is too big or too strong to be above the law. If something at work does not feel right, reach out to Borrelli & Associates, P.L.L.C. at (516) 248-5550.

This page offers general information about employment law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.