Milwaukee Wisconsin Legal Blog

Wisconsin teenagers are important members of the local workforce. These young boys and girls often fill low-paid, less desired positions that older, more skilled workers are less likely to seek out. Unfortunately, some companies use the fact that teenagers are typically less experienced and knowledgeable about their rights to have them work unpaid overtime, violating employment law. An out-of-state school was recently hit with $47,578 in fines and ordered to shell out $635,269 in unpaid overtime. 

According to the Department of Labor, from July 2015 to July 2017 the school made 97 summer counselors aged 14 to 15 work longer than 40 hours per week during the summers. Federal law caps the number of hours teenagers of this age can work at 40 hours in a single week. However, summer camp counselors are sometimes considered exempt from this mandate under Section 13(a)(3) of the Fair Labor Standards Act. This means that certain camp counselors are exempt from federal minimum wage and overtime laws. 

For most people in Wisconsin, Disney brings to mind childhood memories of movies and theme park rides. Unfortunately, not everyone has such cheery memories. A former employee recently filed a workplace discrimination lawsuit, claiming that the company engaged in gender bias during her pregnancy. 

The woman previously worked as an aerial dancer in one of the popular live shows at the Animal Kingdom park of Walt Disney World. She described her former position as one that was highly sought after. The women who performed in the show wore harnesses, which were then clipped to safety gear during the show so they could fly inside the theater. 

These days, multi-tasking is a daily effort. You probably have to meet deadlines at times and work long hours, but if this kind of pressure happens more often than not, it can take a toll on your health.

Are you at least receiving fair compensation for the extra hours you put in and the stress that comes with your job?

Having a child is a joyful experience for most Wisconsin parents. Unfortunately, treatment in the workplace can overshadow this joyful occasion for some women. An out-of-state mother claims that she was the victim of workplace discrimination when a potential employer rescinded an offer of employment upon learning that she had recently had a child.

Nikki Columbus served as Parkett's editor until the magazine stopped publication in 2017. Shortly before publication ceased, Columbus was approached by the chief curator at the museum MoMA PS1. The chief curator encouraged Columbus to apply for a job as the museum's performance curator, which she did. At the time of the interview she was five months pregnant, but did not disclose this information out of fear of backlash. During the interview, the chief curator allegedly referred to the person who had last filled that position, noting that she was not as present in her position once she gave birth.