Employers in Texas and throughout the country are not allowed to terminate employers based on their race, gender or skin color. Furthermore, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act also prevents employers from terminating workers based on their sexual orientation or gender. However, this doesn't mean that employees have an easy time proving discrimination when it happens. In some cases, workers are forced to sign away their right to take legal action as a condition of receiving a severance package.
Female firefighters want equal treatment
Nearly a decade ago, a sexual harassment claim was filed against the Houston Fire Department. Women who worked there said that colleagues would call them names, urinate on their beds and make a mess out of their bathrooms. However, despite raising complaints, nothing was done to remedy the situation. Those who objected to the behavior were called troublemakers. The resulting lawsuit contained hundreds of pages of evidence that was collected by the victims of such activity.
3 things to know about hourly pay in Texas
If you are an hourly wage worker in the state of Texas, you should know some basic information about how wage and hour laws work. Sometimes employers violate certain parts of the wage and hour laws in order to maximize profits, while cheating their employees out of regular or overtime pay they are legally entitled to.
Religion can't justify workplace discrimination
On March 7, the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals found that there was no religious exemption to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling means that Texas employers and others cannot use their religious beliefs to justify discrimination against a worker. The court ruled on a case involving a transgender worker who was terminated after informing the funeral home where she worked that she was beginning her transition.
Google faces new lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices
Some employers in Texas value a diverse workplace, but a new lawsuit filed against Google, Inc. highlights the challenges a company might face when considering race and gender during the hiring process. According to court papers filed on behalf of a former employee at YouTube, the tech giant created a clear policy against the hiring of white or Asian males.
Immigrant agricultural workers are often treated unfairly
When you moved to Texas from your home country, your goal was to build a better life for you and your family. You have many opportunities in the United States, but like others, you had to start from the bottom and work your way up. As a farm worker, your skills are necessary for everyone living in the country, but if you are facing wage and hour injustices by your employer, you are unfortunately far from alone.
Federal court rules sexual orientation discrimination prohibited
Many LGBT workers in Houston and across the country may be concerned about the threat of discrimination on the job. In February 2018, however, these workers received additional legal support as a federal appeals court ruled that existing federal anti-discrimination laws prevent companies from firing workers because of their sexual orientation. The ruling came in the case filed by a skydiving instructor who lost his job reportedly after telling one of his clients that he is gay.
