The fundamental difference between employees and independent contractors is that employees work for the company on a full-time basis while independent contractors are hired for part-time projects. The difference between the two becomes somewhat unclear when independent contractors are repeatedly hired by the same company. 

This process of rehiring the same independent contractors can be valuable to a company because they know they can rely on the independent contractor. Moreover, the company is not required to pay payroll taxes for independent contractors. Instead, independent contractors pay their own self-employment contractors.

In cases where independent contractors essentially act like employees of the company, the IRS may investigate the relationship between the company and contractor. If the IRS believes that the company controls the contractor's job decisions and the contractor relies on the company for his business, then the IRS may determine that the independent contractor is in fact an employee and the company must pay payroll taxes on his work. 

If you or anyone you know has questions about the implications of being an independent contractor, contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042. 

In the past ten years, employees who report fraud or wrongdoing have received a number of legal protections. These protections are to decrease the chances of fraud in the workplace.

That being said, employees still face numerous pressures not to report fraud or wrongdoing. For instance, if an employee discovers that his or her employer is receiving kickbacks from a vendor, that employer may attempt to pressure or bribe them into not reporting the kickback. 

Employees, though, should be aware that their employer cannot fire them for being a whistleblower and that receiving bribes will make them complicit in the kickback scheme. 

If you or anyone you know has questions about Texas whistleblower protections, contact the Houston employment attorneys of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.

Employees are not always terminated because of bad performance or personal misconduct. In some cases, employees are let go because their company has been acquired by another company.

When this occurs, fired employees are often upset that they lost their job for no good reason. To protect themselves, employees should attempt to negotiate termination agreements. These agreements give employees pay, benefits, and other provisions if they lose their job because of a merger or buyout. 

If you or anyonoe you know has questions about employee contracts, contact the Houston employment attorneys of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.

A Houston company may be fined about $1.5 million for an explosion that killed one employee. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, CES Environmental Sevices Inc. was fined because for the explosion that was ignited by vapors inside a tank. 

A spokesperson for the company said it will fight the penalties and claimed that the worker who was killed did not properly follow safety procedure. 

Accidents such as tank explosions can occur for many different reasons. If you or anyone you have lost a loved one in a worksite accident, contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.

Some workplace accidents can result in injuries that prevent an employee from returning to work. These type of injury cases are typically known as total disability cases. 

Total disability occurs when an employee is injured in such a way that the employee cannot perform his or her previous job function. In these cases, the employee can not only sue for injury damages but also lost wages and other expenses. 

These cases, however, are difficult to win because the employee must prove that he or she is totally not capable for returning to work. 

If you or anyone is seeking a total disability case, contact the Houston workplace injury attorneys of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.

The Houston metropolitan area fell in the city rankings for construction jobs. According to an analysis prepared by the Associated General Contractors of America, the Houston area lost about 21,600 construction jobs, an 11 percent decline from the same time last year. 

The analysis used U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reported that 121,000 construction jobs, including mining  and logging, were lost in the last year. The lost jobs put Houston at number 145 out of the 337 metro areas studied. 

If you have lost a job in the construction industry, you may have a right to workers' compensation. Contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.

In the early part of the 20th century, employees were permitted to work employees for long hours and give them inadequate pay. That practice changed after the Fair Labor Standards Act, which was passed in 1938. 

The FLSA was one of the many reforms during the New Deal that protected workers' rights. The original statutes raised by the FLSA, however, have been modified in the last seventy years and the employment law looks vastly different. 

Given the legal complexities and technical issues surrounding wage and hour dispute issues, many people have trouble understanding if they are receiving fair compensation or if they have a legitimate claim to file a lawsuit against their employer.

If you have questions regarding wage and hour dispute issues, contact the Houston employment lawyers of the Ross Law Group at 800-634-8042.