Retaliation Attorney in Milwaukee Wi.

When an employer retaliates against you for standing up for what is right in the workplace it can feel like someone has taped a "Kick Me" sign to your back. If you are being retaliated against for asserting your rights or the rights of others do not let your employer squash your career.

Fight back with a partner you can trust.

Under Wisconsin Employment Law, in many situations it is illegal for an employer to retaliate against an employee for asserting their legal rights or assisting others in asserting their employment rights in the workplace.

Despite the laws that protect employees from retaliation, EEOC charge statistics show that retaliation claims are the most common charges filed and that they have been on the rise for over a decade.

Milwaukee Retaliation Employment Law Attorney

What is Employment Retaliation

Workplace retaliation involves treating an employee differently than other employees because the employee engaged in protected activities under the law.

Protected Activities

When an employee engages in certain activities they may not be retaliated against by their employers.

There are a multitude of protected activities. The following list is not exhaustive so if you feel that you have been retaliated against by your employer contact a Milwaukee Retaliation Attorney at Carroll Law Firm today.

• Filing a charge/complaint of discrimination
• Assisting in someone else's charge or complaint of discrimination (such as being a witness)
• Opposing discrimination in the workplace - complaining about discrimination or illegal harassment on behalf of yourself or others
• Reporting sexual harassment
• Requesting an accommodation for disability
• Taking a leave of absence
  • FMLA leave
  • Disability Leave
  • Pregnancy
• Health Care Worker Retaliation - this category is very broad and includes internal and external reporting of anything the employee reasonably believes may be a violation of the law or of a standard of care.
• Filing or threatening to file a wage complaint
• Sarbanes Oxley - Reporting or opposing financial fraud in publically traded companies or contractors of publicly traded companies
• Reporting OSHA violations
• False Claims Act or Qui Tam - Opposing fraud against the federal government
Refusing to engage in illegal or improper activity or reporting illegal or improper activity in the workplace
• Refusing to attend a meeting or engage in communication about religious or political matters
• Exercising First Amendment Rights - Public Employees
• Engaging in Protected Concerted Activity - complaining about wages, hours or working conditions on behalf of yourself and other employees

Retaliatory Actions

Sometimes an employer's retaliation is obvious. For example, a nurse who is called into the DON's office and is told that she is being fired for making a report to the State regarding a quality of care issue has an open and shut case of retaliation. However, in most cases employers may be more patient subtle and devious in their acts of retaliation. Retaliatory acts include:

• Discharge
• Discipline
• Demotion
• Poor performance evaluations
• Transfer
• Reduction in Hours
• Refusing to promote

Putting the Pieces Together

Retaliation cases can be complex. The key to proving claims of retaliation is to tie the protected activity to the adverse employment action. It is not uncommon for retaliation to occur over an extended period of time. Often it will start with subjective criticism of job performance which leads to a poor performance review, which leads to a Performance Improvement Plan which leads to discharge.

Attorney Douglas J. Carroll, Jr., the founder and managing attorney at Carroll Law Firm, SC has the knowledge and experience to peel back the layers of management-speak designed to hide unlawful employment retaliation and get at the truth.

Once an employee asserts a retaliation claim, many employers have the recourses to hire large corporate law firms to defend their actions. Carroll Law Firm, SC focuses its entire legal practice on representing employees, professionals and executives. Loyalties will never be divided because the firm does not represent employers. Attorney Douglas J. Carroll, Jr., is not intimidated by large employers. He has the skill and tenacity to effectively fight for justice regardless of the size and recourses of the employer or the law firm they hire.