Ohio
The Buckeye State of Ohio supports an economy in transition. According to a 2007 estimate, the state brings in an annual product of nearly $230 billion and supports a wide array of financial, manufacturing, textile, utility, and healthcare jobs. Cincinnati, Ohio is home to Procter & Gamble, one of the largest U.S. suppliers of real goods. The state also supports a large steel industry that’s been threatened recently by competition from suppliers overseas. Ohio has shrunk both in population and in economic output significantly over the past several years. Unemployment rates have made investors less than sanguine about the state’s prospects for quick recovery.
The Ohio Civil Rights Commission (also known as the OCRC) oversees workers compensation, harassment, retaliation, and discrimination complaints. The Ohio legislature set up the OCRC in 1959, and its duties and jurisdiction are spelled out in the Ohio Revised Code, Section 4112. The commission’s primary duty is to fight discrimination in OH workplaces. It investigates allegations, creates policies, collects and processes reports, and supports programs designed to reduce prejudice and thus staunch future workplace discrimination. The OCRC can demand records, documents and evidence from individual or companies accused of discriminatory practices.
The OCRC is headed by 5-person board and employs 200 people. It often works in conjunction with federal agencies, such as the Department Of Housing And Urban Development and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. OCRC services are free to the public.
Due to Ohio’s cultural and ethnic diversity, racial tensions often surface in times of economic distress. Unfortunately, the recent recession -- exacerbated by the loss of so many Ohio manufacturing jobs to companies overseas -- has set the stage for classic workplace race based discrimination.
If you believe that your Ohio employer has treated you unfairly, violated wage and hour laws, subjected you to harassment or discrimination, or retaliated against you for filing a compliant to the OCRC, the law firm of Joseph, Herzfeld, Hester & Kirschenbaum LLP may be able to help. For a free assessment of your case, contact us now.