What are some issues that may require workers in Odessa to seek legal help?

Odessa, TX – While many things can go wrong in the workplace and result in various kinds of disputes, there are a few important areas where workers are protected by the law. When someone is a victim of wage theft, harassment, or discrimination, they should take the problem serious and look into getting help from a lawyer.

Unpaid or missing wages and overtime

It is fairly common for employers to shortchange their workers in a number of different ways. The employer does not necessarily have to actively be stealing money from employees or withholding pay. Something as simple as improper record keeping is technically illegal and can result in lots of lost money for workers. Not properly giving or calculating overtime pay is another way that some workers end up losing thousands of dollars over the course of a year. One of the most confusing aspects of proper payment is whether a worker is exempt, salaried, or falls under some other kind of status that is not eligible for overtime.

Sexual harassment issues

The definition of sexual harassment is more broad than many people realize. The victim and the person responsible may be of the same gender, and any gender can be victimized. Coworkers who are not necessarily superiors or bosses can also be guilty of sexual harassment. Any kind of repeated or unwelcome advances may rise to the level of legally actionable harassment claims. This is especially true if the person responsible is told to step and they continue, or they make sexual favors a condition of employment.

When someone has issues with harassment they should go to their human resources department to try to fix the issues, and retain their own lawyer if necessary.

Discrimination

Certain characteristics such as person’s religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, and national origin are all protected from discrimination. Employers are not allowed to take any adverse actions against a worker such as a demotion or termination based on these protected characteristics.

Inquiries about discrimination tend to be based heavily on specific facts and evidence that an employer did not have a legitimate reason to take such adverse actions against the worker. If the victim can find specific documents, communications, or testimony from other workers, they are much more likely to be able to prove discrimination was the actual motive for their job loss or other issues.

Labor attorneys who can assist with these problems and other workplace issues

Moore and Associates handles various kinds of employment and labor law issues in the state of Texas. Anyone who needs assistance from a licensed attorney in the Odessa area can contact the firm for more information.

Firm contact info:

Moore & Associates

440 Louisiana Street, Suite 675, Houston, TX 77002

713-222-6775