Delaware
Tiny Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution back in 1787. This mid-Atlantic state is 2,500 square miles in size and has a population of approximately 873,000, according a 2008 estimate. Delaware’s small size notwithstanding, the state boasts a thriving economy based on maritime industries, tourism, industry, mining, and business development. DE also has famously loose tax laws. In fact, many national companies – particularly and perhaps most notoriously, credit card companies – have incorporated in the state specifically to take advantage of its favorable tax laws. The southern half of the state has a primarily agriculturally based economy. The northern counties support cutting edge engineering and science research.
The agency that overseas employment discrimination and harassment in Delaware is the Department of Labor. Together with the Delaware Workforce Investment Board, the DOL enforces job protections, advertises job opportunities, processes unemployment insurance claims, runs a safe workplace program, enforces labor law and antidiscrimination statutes, and appeals for employment denial. The DOL plays a role in collecting minimum wage payments for DE workers. It also ensures that disabled and unemployed workers get appropriate wage payment and collection assistance. The DOL’s headquarters are in Wilmington, and the Division serves the needs of about 400,000 laborers in the state as well as 20,000 corporations and other businesses.
Given Delaware’s reputation as a harbor for corporations seeking to avoid tax consequences, the state has come into friction with other states and even the Federal Government regarding tax law. These battles over tax rules for corporations ultimately impact the wage and hour needs of individual workers.
If you feel you have a wage and hour claim against a Delaware employer or a workplace discrimination, harassment, or retaliation case, the attorneys at Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum can provide strategic guidance for your best next steps.