Labor Lawyers in Texas
Texas Labor lawyers understand the challenges of Texas workplaces and how labor law can protect Texas employees from poor work environments. Under the National Labor Relations Act most private employees have the right to work together to improve work conditions or join a union. Employees in Texas have these rights even though Texas is a “right to work” state. Employers may not interfere with the right to participate in a union, petition co-workers to join a union, or the right of employees to cooperate to improve their conditions without joining a formal union. (Visit this page to learn more about what is labor law and how does it differ from employment law.)
When employers violate employee rights under the NLRB, employees are entitled to remedies under the law. Reaching these remedies can be challenging. They often involve administrative as well as judicial processes as well as complex federal law. Working with a Texas labor lawyer and employment lawyer can help navigate this legal maze.
Labor law in formal unions and informal cooperation between workers
When people think about labor law they often think about unions and collective bargaining agreements. This is for good reason. Most labor law issues involve unions and their collective bargaining agreements. That includes:- Union elections
- Grievances
- Negotiating collective bargaining agreements
- Strikes
- Presenting requests to management to improve physical conditions in the workplace
- Clarifying work duties
- Asking for raises
- Changing work responsibilities
- Requesting benefits
Your right to unionize your workplace in Texas
Federal law protects your rights to join or form a union in your workplace. You have the right to bring an established union to your workplace through an election. That includes the right to advertise the union and solicit support from your co-workers. Your employer can limit certain activities in the workplace to prevent disrupting work but cannot completely eliminate any discussion of union activity or interfere with your solicitation or support for the union. Your employer is allowed to speak negatively about the union and state its position that it believes a union would not help the employees. However, your employer cannot state outright or imply that bringing a union into the workplace would result in losing jobs or firing people to scare them from voting for union representation.