Updated
Updated · openPR · Jul 28
Jason D. Berkowitz Details 8 Common FMLA Violations by Florida Employers
Updated
Updated · openPR · Jul 28

Jason D. Berkowitz Details 8 Common FMLA Violations by Florida Employers

1 articles · Updated · openPR · Jul 28

Summary

  • Eight common FMLA violations are outlined in a new guide from Miami employment attorney Jason D. Berkowitz, including leave denials, retaliation, attendance-policy penalties, missing notices and refusal to restore workers to their jobs.
  • Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave is available to eligible employees — or 26 weeks for covered servicemember caregivers — while employers must maintain group health coverage during the leave.
  • FMLA coverage generally applies to public agencies and private employers with 50 or more workers, while employees usually must have 12 months of service, 1,250 hours worked and a site with 50 employees within 75 miles.
  • Berkowitz says claims usually fall into interference or retaliation theories, and workers who prove violations may recover lost pay, benefits, interest, liquidated damages, reinstatement and attorney's fees.
  • Two-year filing deadlines generally apply, extending to three years for willful violations, and the guide urges workers to document leave requests, hours and post-leave job changes.

Insights

Florida is an at-will state, but how can federal FMLA rules secretly protect your job when you need medical leave the most?
Could your boss's innocent check-in text during your medical leave actually be a hidden violation of federal law?
When does a supervisor's hidden bias sabotage your job, and how does the legal cat's paw theory expose this illegal retaliation?