For more than 40 years, our team of nationally recognized employment lawyers has helped thousands of clients resolve workplace disputes, including wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, whistleblower rights and protections, retaliation, discrimination, hostility, and workplace safety.
Employment law is a broad and complex practice covering the rights, obligations, and responsibilities of an employer and its workers. Numerous federal and state laws, regulations, and judicial precedent all inform the employer-employee relationship and define the rights and responsibilities of each.
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If you feel your employer is violating your rights and protections as an employee, our employment and labor attorneys can help you through the process of seeking justice. At Beasley Allen, all of our lawyers live and work by the credo “helping those who need it most.”
Wage and Hour Laws – Minimum Wage, Overtime, and Tips
The U.S. Department of Labor is the regulatory agency that oversees employment laws at the federal level. The DOL oversees and enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), a body of wage and hour laws that sets the minimum wage ($7.25 in 2020), overtime pay eligibility for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, and other compensatory time for U.S. employees.
While many companies treat their employees fairly and legally, it is not uncommon for employers to violate labor laws and engage in various forms of employee wage theft. These could be as simple as paying workers below the minimum wage or not at all. Wage theft can also result from less obvious schemes, including promoting workers to “managerial” positions in title only to exempt them from overtime; forcing tipped workers to pool tips with non-tipped workers, or providing comp time instead of overtime pay to name just a few.
Hostile Workplace – Discrimination, Retaliation and Wrongful Termination
Every worker has a right to work in a safe and supportive environment, but the workplace can be an abusive and sometimes dangerous environment for too many working Americans.
Employees may find themselves working under intolerable conditions for other reasons. Some of the most common forms of workplace hostility include:
Workplace Discrimination
A number of federal and state laws prohibit employers from discriminating against employees or job applicants on the basis of race, sex, orientation, age, disability, or national origin. Despite legal protections, some employers discriminate, either creating a hostile or unfair environment.
Workplace Retaliation
Like discrimination, workplace retaliation can make an employee’s work environment hostile and negative. When retaliation occurs, an employer attempts to punish an employee for taking part in activities that are permitted by law but are discouraged by that particular employer.
Wrongful Termination
Wrongful termination occurs when an employee is fired for an illegal reason, such as illegal discrimination or a breach of contract. Federal employment law provides that no employee can be fired based on race, gender, ethnic background, religion, or disability.
Worker’s Rights – Frequently Asked Questions
Choose the Right Employment Lawyer
At Beasley Allen, our employment attorneys truly are committed to helping you by seeking justice and fair compensation on your behalf for injuries and injustices suffered at work.
If you feel your employer has violated your rights under federal and/or state employment and labor laws, your best first move is to contact a labor and employment lawyer. You can be confident knowing Beasley Allen’s team of experienced workplace lawyers have your back and will work to get you the compensation you deserve.
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