Friday, November 20, 2009
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
COLUMBUS — The state would have more authority to investigate workers’ claims that they weren’t fully paid what they were owed by employers, under legislation introduced in the Ohio Senate.
Sen. Sue Morano, a Democrat from Lorain, said the bill is aimed at employers who are not paying workers their full wages, overtime or minimum wage or paying nothing at all for work performed.
“I have received numerous phone calls from people across the state, from Cleveland to Cincinnati, who have suffered the unjust practices of their employers,” Morano told Statehouse reporters during a press conference Thursday. She added, “This legislation is intended to assist the workers who cannot afford legal counsel but are still entitled to a honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work.”
Ohio is among the few states nationally that does not investigate unpaid-wage complaints above minimum wage. And workers who earn more or make claims for larger lost wages must file civil suits for the difference.
Morano’s legislation would allow the Department of Commerce to investigate and enforce complaints for employees who earn more than minimum wage.
Forty-three other states have passed comparable legislation, Morano said.