Ingram Urges Changes to Senate Bill 33 to Ensure Ohio Workers Know Their Rights

Today, state Senator Catherine D. Ingram (D-Cincinnati) expressed her concerns regarding Senate Bill 33 and recommended changes to ensure employees of Ohio know their labor rights in the workplace.

"Although I agree businesses should have the option to display Ohio labor laws online, I believe those businesses are still responsible for informing their employees on where to find this information," Ingram said. “My concern is we will find ourselves on a slippery slope, and this bill will be entirely ineffective if labor laws are left out of sight and out of mind.” 

S.B. 33 passed the Ohio Senate 29 – 3. The bill allows an employer to post notices regarding the following labor laws on the internet in a manner that is accessible to their employees:

• Ohio’s Minor Labor Law (excluding the list of minors employed by an employer)
• Ohio’s Minimum Fair Wage Standards Law (minimum wage and overtime)
• Ohio’s Civil Rights Law
• Ohio’s Prevailing Wage Law
• Ohio’s Workers’ Compensation Law

Senator Ingram offered an amendment to require employers who choose to post labor law notices on the internet to post information in a conspicuous place describing how employees can access the website where labor law notices are posted, but the amendment was not accepted.

S.B. 33 now heads to the Ohio House of Representatives for consideration.