The governments of Texas towns, cities and counties are employers that must obey the same state and federal employment laws that private employers must observe. But just as in business, public employers such as municipalities, townships and counties sometimes face allegations of workplace wrongdoing lodged by current or former employees.
Employment law disputes
In some cases, public and quasi-public entities are defendants in employment law litigation that include one or more of the following allegations:
- Sexual harassment
- Workplace discrimination based on age, gender, race, national origin or religion
- Failure to make a reasonable accommodation or violations of other provision in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Retaliation against a whistleblower or employee who files an employment law complaint
- Violations of the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Wrongful termination
- Civil rights violation involving excessive force or other law enforcement misconduct
- Wage and hour violations involving overtime, compensation, benefits and scheduling
- Employment disputes with contractors
- Violations of an employee’s privacy or defamation of an employee’s character
In some cases, both a governmental body and an individual (city council member, county commissioner, elected government officials, etc.) will be named as defendants in a lawsuit alleging violations of employment law.
Resolving employment law conflicts
In many cases, negotiations can favorably resolve for both the plaintiff and the defendant the disputes listed above. Depending on circumstances, some employment law disputes involving governmental entities must be resolved in a federal or Texas court.
Some of these types of employment disputes will also involve matters such as civil service law, disciplinary hearings and appeals or civil service investigations.