Your Legal Protections on the Job in Texas
Though you may not realize it, you have a host of legal protections to ensure that you are not exploited by your employer in Texas. Unfortunately, many companies in Texas will use every opportunity to try to take advantage of workers. They’ll tell you that you’re lucky to have work. They’ll threaten to terminate you or give you undesirable work assignments if you disagree with their tactics. To fully protect yourself on the job, you need to know your rights.
The State and Federal Laws Protecting Workers in Texas
Both Congress and the Texas Legislature have enacted statutes that provide a range of worker protections. Included are:
- The right to a minimum amount of pay per hour—Minimum wages are governed by both state and federal law. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Texas has the same minimum wage. There are exemptions under both state and federal minimum wage laws.
- The right to higher pay for overtime—In Texas, you have a right to overtime pay for any hourly work performed in excess of 40 hours over a seven-day period. The rate of overtime pay must be at least 1.5 times your normal hourly pay rate. Unlike many states, however, Texas does not have limits on daily hours before overtime must be paid.
- The right not to be unfairly discriminated against in the workplace—There are federal and state anti-discrimination laws that apply to the workplace. Among those that protect workers are the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Equal Pay Act, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act also bans certain types of workplace discrimination
- The right to participate in certain protected activities without retaliation—Workers may not be subjected to adverse actions in retaliation for reporting illegal or unethical conduct by an employer, for refusing to participate in wrongful conduct, for participating in any legal investigation of the acts of an employer, or for filing a legitimate workers’ compensation claim. A worker also cannot be punished for serving jury duty. In fact, Texas law requires that an employer grant a worker leave for either regular or grand jury duty.
- The right to a prevailing wage if your employer is working on certain government projects—Under certain circumstances, an employer must pay a prevailing, rather than a minimum, wage
- The federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires that nonexempt mothers be given reasonable breaks to express milk, as well as private spaces (other than a bathroom) to express that milk. That right may be exercised for up to a year after the birth of a child.
- The right to take time off to vote in an election—Texas law requires paid time off for voting, unless the employee has two consecutive hours outside working time to vote
Contact the Experienced Employment Law Attorneys at Bailey & Galyen
At the law office of Bailey & Galyen, we offer a free initial consultation to every client. To speak with a proven employment lawyer, Contact us by e-mail or 844-402-2992 call our offices at one of the convenient locations listed below. We will take your call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
