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Texas

When workers drive company vehicles, must we pay for travel time?

07/29/2015
Q. My nonexempt employees drive company vans from their homes to customers’ homes throughout the day. Am I required to pay employees for time they spend driving to customers’ homes or sitting in traffic?

How should we respond to the Texas open-carry law that goes into effect next year?

07/29/2015
Q. I keep hearing about the new Texas open-carry law. Does this law apply to all offices? What steps should I take if the new legislation has a negative impact on my business?

New challenge for Texas employers: Transgender employees’ restroom rights

07/29/2015

Time was when an employer’s only preoccupation with restrooms was whether the cleaning crew was keeping them stocked with soap, towels and toilet paper. Enter the new reality: Federal agencies and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights groups are contending that transgender employees should be given the right to choose between restrooms having an “M” or a “W” on the door.

David beat Goliath, employers sometimes beat the DOL!

07/29/2015
A Texas company has been awarded attorneys’ fees as compensation for aggressive DOL tactics.

Unspecified commission? Jury decides who to believe

07/29/2015
For jobs based on written employment contracts, what the agreement says typically governs all the terms and conditions of employment. If something is unclear or unstated, what the parties do later likely will influence eventual judicial interpretation.

School boards have wide latitude to terminate teachers for financial reasons

07/29/2015
A Texas appellate court has upheld the discharge of a teacher for financial reasons. The case shows school districts have great discretion to determine which employees to cut and don’t have to be bogged down in a detailed examination.

1st Amendment free-speech rights extend to government contractors, too

07/29/2015
Contractors performing work for governmental agencies are protected by the First Amendment right to free speech as if they were public employees.

Confidentiality conundrum: Can you reveal complaint in order to stop sexual harassment?

07/29/2015
What should you do when a male employee claims his co-workers are sexually harassing him? You can’t just ignore the complaint simply because it came from a man. But should you discuss the complaint with the co-workers and ask them to stop if they are engaging in harassment? Wouldn’t that make matters worse?

1st Amendment protects government employees

07/29/2015
Public employees have the right to free speech, and they’re free to support any political candidate they want—even when they oppose their bosses who are running for office.

San Antonio restaurants must pay $500K for cooking books

07/29/2015
San Antonio-area China Sea restaurants got burned when investigators from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found the company maintained two sets of books, one showing them in compliance and one telling the true story.