Banking giant, Wells Fargo, cited “changing market conditions” as the primary reason for laying off 125 employees in two Irving, Texas mortgage fulfillment units.

A Wells Fargo spokesman reported that 55 employees were informed of their impending  job termination within the last few months, while the remaining 70 were informed just last week. The layoffs, which were confirmed with the Texas Workforce Commission, are part of a nationwide plan that will cut 925 jobs.

Unfortunately, in the current economic climate, layoffs are not an uncommon phenomenon. However, should a person be terminated for unfair reasons, a competent and experienced employment lawyer can advocate for them. If you think your employee rights are being infringed upon by an Austin employer, contact the attorneys of The Melton Law Firm at (512) 330-0017 to find out what we can do for you.

A study conducted by the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign showed that 59% of Texas fast-food workers rely on government assistance programs such as food stamps and Medicaid to support themselves and their families.

This ranks Texas as the seventh-largest percentage of front-line fast-food workers on government assistance among the 24 states featured in the report.

According to Employment Policies Institute research director Michael Saltsman, employers would replace their workers with automated machinery if the minimum wage was raised significantly. Therefore, Saltsman added, tax payers must decide whether to partially support lower-skilled fast-food workers, or support them entirely if they were to lose their jobs to an “unrealistic wage mandate.

If you or a loved one work in a hostile work environment or are being payed below minimum wage, you may consider seeking legal representation. Please share your story with our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm in Austin by calling (512) 330-0017 today.

A lawyer employed in the Texas attorney general’s office is claiming that illegal conduct occurred within the state’s law enforcement defense division and has filed a lawsuit.

Michael Ritter had been working for Greg Abbott since he was hired in March 2012. He reported a hostile work environment, discrimination, falsification of hourly time sheets, and misuse of taxpayer dollars while working there, but was ignored. His report was dismissed, and Ritter was forced to transfer to the transportation division. He also lost oversight over four of his trial cases.

Judge Amy Clark Meachum denied Ritter’s petition to have the officials refrain from reprisal, but moved for the case to go forward on Friday, October 4.

If you have experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, civil rights violations, or other issues because of your workplace, you may consider taking legal action. Please contact our experienced attorneys at The Melton Law Firm, by calling (512) 330-0017 today to discuss your case.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that the Austin Fire Department has discriminated against Latinos and African-Americans in their hiring process. Fire-fighter exams, which must be submitted with an application to the fire department, were allegedly biased against minorities.

The Department of Justice informed Austin through a letter that the fire department’s employment application practices were biased.

AFD Fire Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr maintains that the perceived discrimination was “unintentional”, and that applicants with the highest scores were hired.

Kerr also noted in the 2012 fire department review that they encouraged female candidates, as well as candidates of other races, to apply for the positions.

No one be forced to endure workplace discrimination. If you or a loved one is being treated unfairly by an employer, please contact our experienced attorneys at The Melton Law Firm, by calling (512) 330-0017 to discuss your situation.

Multinational retail corporation Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. announced on Monday, September 23 that it will hire 55,000 seasonal employees for this year’s holiday season in a bid to increase staffing to accommodate the influx of shoppers during the busiest shopping time of the year. The retail magnate said it will also move 35,000 part-time employees to full-time and transfer more than 35,000 full-time employees to a part-time position.

Wal-Mart is hiring more people this year than it did last year when it employed over 50,000 seasonal workers.

Last Monday’s shares were trading six cents lower at $75.77 with stocks increasing by 10.9% so far this year.

Sometimes an employer doesn’t practice proper conduct in dealing with his or her employees, treating them unfairly or even harassing them. If this has happened to you, our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm, might be able to help you take action against your employer. Call us at 512-330-0017 to discuss your case with us today.

In spite of a lackluster jobs report Friday, September 6 that questioned the country’s economic stability, analysts are of the opinion that the Federal Reserve will be pulling back on its stimulus program that helps secure the job market in a matter of weeks.

Economists said Fed governors would make light of the Labor department’s August report that showed a meager addition of only 169,000 jobs to the employment market, and still justify dwindling their monthly purchase of long-term Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities – initiatives that help push down long-term interest rates – after their next assembly on September 17 and 18.

Pantheon Macroeconomics chief economist Ian Shepherdson said Fed governors should postpone making such an action, as “the risks posed by Syria and the impending fiscal chaos in Washington” are at hand, with Shepherdson referencing Congressional debates over debt limit and spending measures.

Unfortunately, regardless of the job market, many people are treated unfairly by their employers. At The Melton Law Firm, our attorneys are dedicated to helping Austin residents who have suffered through such mistreatment, from unpaid overtime to workplace discrimination. Call us at 512-330-0017 to discuss your case with us today.

Bank of America-owned brokerage giant Merrill Lynch, one of the world’s largest brokerage firms with more than 15,000 financial advisers, and the lawyers for hundreds of its African-American financial advisers, who accused the company of racial discrimination, reached a $160 million settlement on Wednesday, August 28.

Merrill Lynch issued a statement on the same day saying that they will not comment on the “existence of a settlement [nor its status].” The company maintained that it practices fair standards among all its employees, saying that all its financial advisers are “judged by the same metric regardless of race.”

However, the plaintiffs claimed discrimination prevailed in the company, citing as proof a 2009 filing that only 2 percent of the brokers at Merrill Lynch were black.

If you too are facing racial discrimination from your Austin employer, seek the assistance of our lawyers at The Melton Law Firm. We can help you fight any acts of discrimination, in addition to other employment violations, so call us at 512-330-0017 today.

A racial discrimination case filed against celebrity chef Paula Deen by her former employee Lisa Jackson was dismissed on Monday, August 12 by U.S. District Judge Williams Moore, Jr.

In addition to the racial discrimination case filed against Deen, Jackson also filed a sexual discrimination claim against Deen’s brother, Earl “Bubba” Hiers, claiming the latter created a hostile working environment for her at Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House, a fact that the restaurant’s co-owner Deen did nothing about.

According to papers obtained by The Wrap, Deen and Hiers had argued that Jackson, who is white, “lacks standing to pursue racial discrimination claims because she does not allege that she suffered any discrimination based on her race.”

Our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm have vast experience helping employees in Austin claims involving work discrimination, sexual harassment, hostile work environment, civil rights violations, retaliations, wrongful termination, overtime/wage violations, equal pay disputes, and other employment issues. Call 512-330-0017 today to talk with us if you have been unfairly treated at work and want to seek justice for this unfair treatment.

More than 170 employees of the Houston-based Servisair filed a lawsuit alleging wage violations on Tuesday, July 23.

The lawsuit, which was filed in a New York federal court, claims Servisair intentionally rounded off the hours worked by the employees in favor of the company, docking lunch hours worked, and employing a time-management system that automatically decreases time worked for its employees – roughly five hours of overtime pay per week docked since at least 2010 – at more than 20 airports all across the nation.

The lawsuit filed is aiming for a class-action status and is seeking to get overtime compensation, damages, and attorney fees. It estimates the company has shortchanged employees tens of millions of dollars for the past three years.

Servisair, which provides services such as cleaning planes, fueling jets, and pushing wheelchairs, had no comments about the lawsuit at this time.

At Melton & Kummler LLP, our attorneys specialize in helping employees in Austin get the rightful pay they are owed. Thus, if you should ever find yourself in a situation in which you have been denied the wages you should have been paid, call us at 512-330-0067.

A law that will bar workplace discrimination based on gender identity and sexual preference was passed by the Senate Committee on Wednesday, July 10. All Democrats and three Republicans supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski said she was “pleased” to support the bill but possible changes on the Senate floor are also welcome. Murkowski also added that she is a strong believer that workers should be judged on how they can perform the job rather than their sexual orientation, and floor amendments may further improve the bill.

Prior to the passage of this bill, in some states people could be fired, harassed, or denied promotion for being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered.

At The Melton Law Firm, our lawyers believe that no one should be unfairly discriminated against in the workplace. Thus, if you have been subjected to such discrimination in Austin, talk with us about how you can get the justice you are seeking by calling (512) 330-0017 today.