If you're searching for a Robinson Township employment law attorney, you're likely dealing with something specific: a termination that felt wrong, unpaid wages, a harassment complaint that went nowhere, or a contract you're being asked to sign under pressure. Sharon L. Wigle, Attorney at Law has practiced employment and contract law in Pennsylvania since 2009, and her cases run through the same state and federal framework that governs workplaces across Robinson Township and the wider Western Pennsylvania region — the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law, and Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act among them.
Employment law here isn't a single statute. It's a stack of state and federal rules, each with its own deadlines, and missing one of those deadlines can end a claim before it starts. Below is a plain answer to the questions people in Robinson Township actually bring into a first consultation.
What counts as wrongful termination in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania is an at-will employment state, which means an employer can generally fire an employee for any reason, or no reason, without warning. That default surprises a lot of people, and it's the first thing worth understanding before assuming a firing was illegal.
At-will status has real exceptions, though. A termination becomes unlawful when it's based on a protected characteristic — race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age 40 or older, or non-job-related disability, all covered under the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA). It's also unlawful when someone is fired in retaliation for reporting discrimination, filing a workers' compensation claim, or exercising a legally protected right, such as taking leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. A termination that breaches an actual written employment contract, rather than at-will employment, is a separate basis for a claim entirely, and it's evaluated under ordinary contract law rather than the PHRA.
The practical test isn't "was this unfair." It's "was this illegal under one of these specific categories." A lot of terminations are both unfair and perfectly legal, which is a hard thing to hear but an important one to know going in.
How long do I have to file a discrimination complaint in Pennsylvania?
You generally have 180 days from the date of the discriminatory act to file a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC). That clock starts running on the date of the incident, not the date you decide to consult a lawyer, so waiting to sort out your thoughts can quietly cost you your claim.
The PHRC and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) operate under a work-sharing agreement, meaning a complaint filed with one agency can be cross-filed with the other, and you generally don't need to file with both separately. Once a complaint is filed, the PHRC dockets it, serves the employer, and requires a response within 60 days. If the case isn't resolved and you've waited at least one year since filing, Pennsylvania law allows you to bring the matter directly to a Court of Common Pleas.
There's a narrower window worth flagging for federal claims: if your case involves a federal statute like Title VII or the ADA and you go the EEOC route instead of or alongside the PHRC, the relevant deadline can be as short as 180 or 300 days depending on how the claim is cross-filed, so this isn't something to sort out on your own timeline.
What are my rights if my employer isn't paying me correctly?
Pennsylvania's Wage Payment and Collection Law requires employers to pay all wages earned, including overtime, and to pay out a final paycheck by the next regular payday after separation — not immediately, and not on some employer-chosen date. The Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act separately sets the wage floor and overtime rules: overtime is owed at 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a single workweek, calculated on a weekly basis rather than daily. Pennsylvania's minimum wage has matched the federal rate of $7.25 per hour since 2009, and the tipped minimum cash wage is $2.83 per hour, with tips required to make up the difference.
Common violations aren't always obvious. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor to avoid overtime, docking pay for short breaks, or averaging hours across two weeks to avoid paying overtime in a heavy week are all recognized violations under Pennsylvania wage law, even when an employer frames them as standard practice.
Can I be fired for using medical marijuana or taking FMLA leave?
Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act includes employment protections: an employer generally cannot terminate, refuse to hire, or otherwise discriminate against an employee solely because they are a certified medical marijuana patient, though safety-sensitive positions and impairment on the job are treated differently.
FMLA leave is a federal protection, available to employees who've worked for a covered employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours, at a location with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. It guarantees up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave for a serious health condition, the birth or adoption of a child, or to care for an immediate family member. Retaliating against an employee for requesting or taking FMLA leave is its own separate violation, distinct from whatever underlying medical situation prompted the leave.
What should I bring to a first consultation?
An employment case is usually built on documents, not memory. Before meeting with an attorney, it helps to gather:
- Your offer letter, employment contract, or any signed agreements, including non-competes
- Pay stubs and any time records covering the disputed period
- The employee handbook or written policies in effect at the time
- Any termination letter, performance reviews, or write-ups
- Emails, texts, or written complaints related to the issue
Sharon L. Wigle has handled these categories of disputes from both intake and litigation, having practiced before the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, the Superior and Supreme Courts, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals since concentrating her practice in employment and contract law in 2009.
Working with an employment law attorney near Robinson Township
Robinson Township sits within the Western District of Pennsylvania's federal court jurisdiction and within the PHRC's Pittsburgh regional office coverage area, which handles Allegheny County and the surrounding counties. That regional detail matters practically: it determines where a state discrimination complaint gets filed and which federal courthouse would hear a case that goes beyond the PHRC process.
Every employment dispute has a shelf life. Wage claims, discrimination complaints, and contract disputes all carry deadlines that start running the moment the underlying event happens, not the moment you're ready to deal with it. If something at work has felt off — a paycheck that's short, a termination that doesn't add up, a contract you're being pressured to sign — the more useful move is usually a conversation now rather than research later. Sharon L. Wigle, Attorney at Law works directly with employees and small businesses across the Robinson Township area on exactly these issues, and a first conversation costs you nothing but the time it takes to have it.
Sources referenced: Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (phrc.pa.gov); Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law, 43 P.S. §§ 260.1–.12; Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act; U.S. Department of Labor, FMLA.
Suggested internal links: practice area page for wage and hour claims; practice area page for employment contracts and non-competes; attorney bio/about page.