CLEVELAND, Ohio – The U.S. Department of Labor sued The Ohio Bell Telephone Co. on Monday, accusing the communications giant of wrongfully suspending 13 workers – including four from Northeast Ohio – who were injured while on the job.

In each of the cases, Ohio Bell – a division of AT&T -- placed the workers on unpaid suspensions after determining the injuries were the workers’ fault for violating the company’s workplace safety standards from 2011 to 2013.

An investigation by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, however, found that the suspensions were issued in retaliation for the workers reporting their injuries.

“It is against the law for employers to discipline or suspend employees for reporting injuries,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health.

“AT&T must understand that by discouraging workers from reporting injuries, it increases the likelihood of more workers being injured in the future,” Michaels said in a prepared statement.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter said, "We believe the suit is without merit. We’ve long been recognized as an employer of choice and are committed to full compliance with all federal and state laws, including workplace safety laws."

The 19-page lawsuit documents 13 separate incidents in which Ohio Bell discriminated against employees by giving them one- to three-day unpaid suspensions for reporting injuries that occurred while they were on the job.

Included among the plaintiffs are:

John Parente and Todd Fensel, customer service specialists at the Brooklyn Heights office. Parente fell off a ladder, breaking a rib, and causing him to miss six weeks of work. Fensel slipped and fell on ice, spraining his shoulder. He missed no work.

Other plaintiffs are:

John Light, a customer service specialist at the company’s Cleveland office, and Russell Boarman, a customer service specialist in Akron. Light needed surgery after injuring his knee while positioning a ladder, and he missed three months of work. Boarman smashed his finger while repairing a cable and did not miss any work.

The other plaintiffs are based in Columbus, Canton, Gallipolis and Uhrichsville.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Cleveland, accuses Ohio Bell of violating federal whistleblower provisions contained in the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

The suit demands that Ohio Bell compensate the employees for lost wages and remove references to the disciplinary actions from their files.