Not Florida, of course (except our age discriminaiton law also requires only 15 employees). Florida remains, and will continue to remain after the election, one of the most anti-employee states in the nation.
Still, it's something to give us hope when even many very red states have protected more employees. A total of 37 states, plus the District of Columbia, now protect employees of small businesses. Here's a breakdown of states and how many employees a business has to have to be covered under anti-discrimination laws:
- Alaska - all employers
- Arkansas - 9
- California - 5
- Connecticut - 3
- Delaware - 4
- D.C. - all employers
- Georgia - 10 for equal pay, all for age
- Hawaii - all employers
- Idaho - 5
- Indiana - 6, all for age
- Iowa - 4
- Kansas - 4
- Kentucky - 8
- Maine - all employers
- Massachusetts - 6
- Michigan - all employers
- Minnesota - all employers
- Mississippi - all employers
- Montana - all employers
- New Hampshire - 6
- New Jersey - all employers
- New Mexico - 4
- New York - 4
- North Dakota - all employers
- Ohio - 4
- Oklahoma - all employers
- Oregon - all employers
- Pennsylvania - 4
- Rhode Island - 4
- South Dakota - all employers
- Tennessee - 8, for gender wage discrimination all employers
- Vermont - all employers
- Virginia - all employers
- Washington - 8
- West Virginia - 12, for gender wage discrimination all employers
- Wisconsin - all employers
- Wyoming - 2
Even in anti-employee Florida, some counties and municipalities have stepped up to cover smaller employers. In Miami-Dade, Broward, Hillsborough, Orange, Lee and Pinellas Counties, employers with 5 or more employees are covered by discrimination ordinances.
If 16 states, including even ultra-red Oklahoma, can cover all employees, why won't Florida step up to help its working people? Ask your elected officials.
