directed to the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor and Industry (802-828-2157). Questions about labor unions can be directed to the National Labor Relations Board’s regional office in Boston (617-565- 6700).


Furthermore, you have a right to a safe workplace. State law prohibits employers from firing, threatening, or otherwise discriminating against any employee for refusing to perform any assignment that the employee believes will expose him/herself or any other person to risk of serious injury. However, the employee must first notify the employer of the dangerous condition and ask the employer to correct that condition.


If you have notified your employer of the existence of a dangerous condition, and the employer has refused to correct it within a reasonable time, you should report the condition to the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Division (800-287-2765) or the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Boston (617-565-9860). Again, the employer is prohibited from taking any action against an employee because that employee has reported a dangerous condition to the authorities.


Family, Medical and Parental Leave


Whether you are the mother or the father, you are entitled to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid family leave due to birth or adoption of a child, if: (1) you have been employed for at least 30 hours per week for the past year; and (2) if your employer has at least 10 employees. You are also entitled to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid medical leave for your own serious illness or serious illness of an immediate family member if: (1) you have been employed for at least 30 hours per week for the past year; and (2) if your employer has at least 15 employees. (It is also possible you could use previously earned vacation or sick leave for up to 6 weeks of your 12-week leave.) You are only entitled to take a total of 12 weeks of family and/or medical leave in any calendar year.


Sexual Harassment at Work


Under the laws of both the United States and the State of Vermont, an employer may not “sexually harass” its employees. Employers must promptly investigate reports of sexual harassment, and must take reasonable precautions to protect its employees against sexual harassment by others. The following definitions are generally recognized from a legal standpoint:


20 On Your Own, 2008 Edition


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