Hi Everyone

I'm new here, and I did a search and could not find any answers to my particular question, so here it goes.

My friend and I both work in the same restaraunt in Columbus, Ohio as servers/waitresses. It is a small family owned business, but we do have more than 15 employees. We do not have benefits or paid time off or anything. My question is this. My friend has worked there for a few years and she is going to have her baby in 3 weeks. When she spoke to the manager about coming back to work in 10 weeks, she was told they already hired someone else to replace her and that they could not guarantee that she would have a job when she returned. She is taking 3 weeks off prior to her delivery due to the fact that there is heavy lifting and lots of walking involved, and its becoming too much for her to work. Does she have any rights at all in this situation?
Or is she S.O.L. because we have no maternity leave policy implemented. I did not know if there were any laws in Ohio that had to be followed. Any advice would be great! Thanks in advance.

Federal leave law, which provides for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job retention, is only applicable to employers with 50 or more employees in a 75 mile radius. Ohio doesn't have a leave law. So, unfortunately, your friend is not covered by any laws promising a leave.