Houston Employee Rights Lawyers

What Are My Rights as an Employee?

Employees in Texas are protected by a number of state and federal employment laws. Unfortunately, many workers are unfamiliar with the very laws that could protect them in their professional lives. At McDowell Law Group LLP, we advise employees on their rights, and help them in various employment law matters.

If the following describes your scenario, talk to us today.

• Have you been unlawfully terminated from your job?
• Have you experienced workplace discrimination?
• Have you been denied benefits?

Our Houston employee rights attorneys can protect you. Call us at (713) 496-0504.

What are Texas Employee Rights?

As an employee in Texas, you have several rights that are protected. To name a few:

• The right to not be denied work if you are part of a labor union
• The right to receive minimum wage (currently $7.25 an hour)
• The right to not be discriminated against based on race, religion, sex, or nationality

Texas Laws Regarding Employment Denial and Termination

Texas is a right-to-work state, meaning that individuals are free to choose whether to join a labor union - but cannot be denied employment based on this choice. Both union and non-union members in the state of Texas have the same employment rights.

If you are being pressured to participate in a labor union-type of organization, or believe that you face retaliation for not accepting these conditions, you may have a case against your employer.

Additionally, Texas is an employment "at will" state. This means an employee can be terminated for any reason, as long as that reason does not violate the law. For example, an employer can fire an employee if they do not like the employee. However, the employer cannot fire an employee on the basis of age, sex, race, religion, or national origin.

Texas Labor Laws Regarding Overtime

According to Texas Payday Law (Texas Labor Code 61 § 61.001(4)), employees are entitled to be paid overtime for hours worked in excess of 40 hours a week. The pay rate for overtime in Texas is one and a half times the employee's regular pay rate.

However, overtime laws do not apply to "exempt" employees, or employees who are paid an annual salary, season workers, etc.

Some jobs inherently exempt to overtime laws are:

• Railroad employees and certain airline employees
• Farmhands
• Taxi drivers
• Certain delivery drivers

Let McDowell Law Group Help You Protect Your Worker's Rights

Do you have any questions about your rights regarding contracts, wages, discrimination, and more? We can answer them. We can also represent you if your rights as an employee have been violated. We represent clients throughout the Houston area in a range of employment matters.

To discuss your concerns, call (713) 496-0504 or request a consult using our online form.