Kansas City Missouri Employment Law Blog

If one or more of your Missouri coworkers has targeted you for bullying, you know how distressful and humiliating this behavior can be. It can make your workplace almost unbearable. Unfortunately, bullying has become all too common throughout the American workforce.

WorkplaceBullying.org defines on-the-job bullying as “health-harming mistreatment of one or more persons (the targets) by one or more perpetrators” that includes the following:

• Intimidating, threatening and/or humiliating treatment
• Treatment that negatively impacts your work and your production
• The use of verbally abusive language
• Repetitive negative behaviors that continue over time

Discrimination in the workplace can affect many groups of people, particularly those who have specific needs or are in a more vulnerable situation. Among those, women who are pregnant, but still undertaking the day-to-day responsibilities of a professional job. Employers in Missouri should be making adequate efforts to accommodate pregnant women and support them in their jobs by providing the resources they need to work comfortably and safely. 

A pregnant woman may face many challenges as she continues to work throughout her pregnancy. Distractions ranging from morning sickness and the sudden onset of fatigue to the often-limiting mobility that is part of pregnancy can undoubtedly create difficulties that can lead to poor performance if not addressed appropriately.

If a Missouri applicant or employee is treated differently or unfavorably because they are pregnant, just had a child or has a medical condition related to childbirth or pregnancy, the employer may be violating the law. According to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act prohibits employers from discriminating in pay, hiring, firing, promotions, job assignments, training, layoff and fringe benefits based on the pregnancy.

This applies to any employer that has 15 or more employees. It also includes employment agencies, local governments, the federal government and labor organizations. There may also be paid leave requirements based on state and local laws. If you are unable to perform certain job requirements because of childbirth or pregnancy, you must be treated the same way as any other employee who is temporarily disabled.

If you are working for minimum wage in Missouri, you may have noticed an increase in your paycheck since the beginning of the year. This is a direct result from Proposition B that was passed in Missouri in November 2018. This law increased the minimum wage rate from $7.85 per hour to $8.60 per hour beginning January 1, 2019. It does not stop there, however. Minimum wage increases will continue to take place every year until 2023, where it will top out at $12 per hour. After that, minimum wage fluctuations may occur, depending on the cost-of-living at that time.

In addition to an increase in minimum wages, the new law increased the statute of limitations on legal claims involving wage issues. You now have three years from the date of the incident to bring a claim against your employer for paying you deficient wages, or wages that equal less than minimum wage. Furthermore, the law presents penalties for employers who fail to pay their employees the proper minimum wage rate. After 2019, any employer who pays less than minimum wage may be required to repay the employee the full wage rate, as well as twice the unpaid wages amount. The employer may also be responsible for paying attorneys’ fees in the case.