Are there any rights to those employees who are laid off?

Are there any rights to those employees who are laid off? For instance, we just had another layoff, making it #5 for the year. Our company employs over 500 employees in our Dallas location. I work in the IS department and we currently have 18. Of which, we had 24 last week. Of the 18 employees currently employed, one of them is a non residence of the US. Who is being sponsored by our company. How can it be legal to continue to employ a non-residence employee, and remove a US citizen employee who can do the same type of work as this employee? Also, can I feel discriminated when I see prefential treatment toward an employee and know that I will be the next one to be let go?

1 answer  |  asked Sep 14, 2002 4:31 PM [EST]  |  applies to Texas

Answers (1)

Trey Henderson
employment at will

Texas is employment at will, which means that the company can lay off employees for any reason as long as it does not violate one of the statutes or common law. For a list of the basic employment laws in Texas, go to my web site at www.houstonattorneys.com. The short list of things the employer cannot do is discriminate against an employee based upon their race, sex, age, disability, national origin or religious preference. For example, the company cannot decide to lay off an Afican American simply because the person is African American. However, it is the employee's burden in court to prove that the company laid him or her off because of that factor. If you feel that the company has violated your rights, you need to seek a local attorney and/or the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

posted by Trey Henderson  |  Sep 14, 2002 5:28 PM [EST]

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