As a North Texas business owner, you have to deal with many of the legal complications that come with starting and running a business. If you have employees, employment law in Dallas TX will complicate your business life even further. When you hire employees to work for you, you have to know and implement a myriad of state and federal employment laws to treat your employees fairly and to keep yourself from facing fines or lawsuits based on your labor practices. Among the many state and federal employment laws you must know about, there are ten that are the most important:
1 – The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Created in 1938, the FLSA establishes a minimum wage and places a limit on the number of hours which can be worked in a standard work week. It also provides standards for overtime pay, equal pay and child labor.
2 – The Texas Minimum Wage Act
The Texas Minimum Wage Act establishes a minimum wage for employees not exempt from the FLSA. This minimum wage is tied to the FLSA-established minimum wage. It also requires employers to provide employees with a written earnings statement.
3 – The Equal Pay Act (EPA)
The EPA makes it illegal to pay men and women different wages if they perform the same tasks in the same workplace.
4 – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Title VII prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or sex (including medical conditions related to pregnancy and childbirth). Although it is a vital part of employment law in Dallas TX, it generally only applies to private businesses with 15 or more employees.
5 – The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA)
The ADEA prohibits employer discrimination against people 40 years old and older. Like Title VII, it is limited – in this case to private businesses with 20 or more employees.
6 – Titles I and V of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA)
The ADA covers businesses with 20 or more employees and prohibits employers from discriminating based on mental or physical disabilities that substantially limit one or more major life activities.
7 – The Immigration Control and Reform Act of 1986 (IRCA)
The IRCA not only prohibits employers from discriminating against current and potential employees based on national origin or legal citizenship status, it also prohibits employers from hiring individuals who are in the United States illegally.
8 – The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
The FMLA entitles employees to take unpaid but job-protected leave for specific family and medical reasons with continuation of their group health insurance coverage while they are on leave. The FMLA generally applies to private businesses with 50 or more employees.
9 – The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH)
The OSH requires all employers, regardless of size, to provide their employees with a workplace that is free from recognized hazards that could lead to serious injury or death.
10 – The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
The USERRA protects members of the U.S. Armed Forces returning from a period of service in the uniformed services. It requires employers to reemploy service members in the jobs they held before deployment with the same status, seniority and level of pay.
Employment law in Dallas TX is complicated. That’s why you need the best law firm in North Texas on your side, Simon | Paschal. Call us at (972) 893-9340 or fill out an online contact form at www.simonpaschal.com.
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