Arizona & Federal Employment Laws
State and federal laws are in place to protect an employee’s workplace rights, including:
Employment At-Will Law
Arizona is an “at-will” employment state. This means that employees can quit or be terminated at any time, with or without cause. Nonetheless, instances of wrongful termination can still occur, for example if the basis of the termination is due to a medical condition or for discriminatory reasons.
Wage & Hour Laws
- Minimum wage: Arizona law and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) have wage and hour laws in place that employers must follow, including minimum wage, overtime compensation, and other wage protections. Federal, state, and local laws may designate different minimum wage rates, and employers must pay whichever is highest. For example, Arizona has a set minimum wage of $13.85, which is higher than the federal of $7.25, so employers in Arizona must pay the state’s minimum wage rate.
- Tipped employees: Employers may include tips, if employees can earn them, as part of minimum wage compensation. This means that an employer can pay as little as $9.15 per hour, as long as the tips that are earned bring the total hourly pay rate up to at least the state minimum wage of $13.85.
- Overtime: The FLSA and Arizona law state that employees will earn a pay rate of time-and-a-half when they work more than 40 hours in a work week. However, there are employees who are exempt from earning overtime wages, for example, a salaried manager.
- Discrimination and harassment laws: Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, in addition to other federal laws, prohibits employers from making job decisions based on age, race, color, religion, sex, disability, medical conditions (including pregnancy), or national origin.
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Laws are also in place to protect employees from retaliation when complaints are made about workplace harassment or discrimination.
If you are an employer in need of assistance with employment decisions or an employee who feels as though their rights have been violated, call and speak to an attorney with Weiler Law PLLC. Schedule a consultation today to hear your legal options.