Employment lawyer serving Schertz, TX
Fired without warning after reporting a safety problem at the warehouse. Passed over, harassed, or pushed out because of who you are. Paychecks that never quite match the hours you worked. If any of that sounds like your situation, an employment lawyer in Schertz, TX can tell you whether the company broke the law, and the deadlines to act on it are short. Key Trial Lawyers represents Schertz workers who were treated unfairly, and we build every case to hold up in front of a jury.
Employment law in a Schertz logistics town
Schertz has built itself into a distribution and logistics hub on the I-35 corridor. Major employers in the area include Amazon, which operates a fulfillment center near Enterprise Avenue, along with Caterpillar, FedEx, UPS, and Sysco. Together with more than 70 other distribution and logistics companies, these employers have built over 3 million square feet of space in the city. Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD is a major public employer, and Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph in neighboring Universal City anchors thousands more jobs.
Warehouse, manufacturing, school district, and military-adjacent work dominates the local job market. That mix produces a predictable set of employment disputes: production-quota pressure that punishes injured or pregnant workers, overtime and pay violations in hourly warehouse roles, retaliation against employees who report safety hazards, and discrimination in hiring, promotion, and termination decisions. Big employers run big HR and legal departments, and those departments are built to protect the company, not you.
Key Trial Lawyers represents Schertz employees from our New Braunfels office at 773 Loop 337, about 20 to 25 minutes up I-35. Call (512) 861-1280 to talk through your situation with an attorney.
Why Schertz workers choose our firm
We prepare every case for a jury
Employers and their defense firms evaluate a claim based on the lawyer bringing it. When they see a firm that settles everything quietly, they offer less. Key Trial Lawyers works up every employment case as if it is headed to trial, with the documents, witnesses, and timeline organized to persuade a jury. That posture changes settlement talks before they start.
An attorney handles your case personally
Losing a job or enduring harassment is personal. Your case should be handled that way. We limit how many matters we take so the attorney on your case actually knows your facts, answers your questions directly, and makes every strategic call. You will not be handed off to an assistant after the first meeting.
We know how employers defend these cases
Companies rarely admit an illegal motive. They point to performance metrics, restructuring, or attendance policies. Winning means dismantling that story with evidence: shifting explanations, comparator employees treated differently, suspicious timing, and documents the employer hoped no one would request. That is the work we do before anyone sits for a deposition.
Employment claims we handle for Schertz workers
Wrongful termination
Texas is an at-will state, but at-will has limits. An employer cannot fire you because of your race, sex, age, religion, national origin, or disability, because you reported illegal conduct or refused to commit a crime, or because you filed a workers’ compensation claim after a workplace injury. If your termination followed close behind a protected act, the timing itself is evidence. We reconstruct the days and weeks before you were let go, because that sequence often reveals the real reason behind the official one.
Workplace discrimination
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code, known as the TCHRA, prohibit discrimination in hiring, pay, promotion, discipline, and firing. Discrimination claims in a logistics-heavy market like Schertz often show up in quota enforcement, shift assignments, and injury accommodation decisions. We look at how the employer treated similarly situated workers outside your protected class, because that comparison is often where the case is won. Pregnancy, disability, and age claims each carry their own proof requirements, and we build the record each statute demands.
Sexual harassment and a hostile work environment
Since 2021, Texas law reaches employers of any size in sexual harassment cases, even a company with a single employee, and it requires employers to take immediate and appropriate corrective action. Harassment becomes a hostile work environment when the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to change the terms of your job. Whether it came from a supervisor on a warehouse floor or a coworker in a school office, you do not have to keep absorbing it to keep your paycheck. Reporting it in writing and preserving those messages can make or break the claim later.
Retaliation
Retaliation claims are among the most common we see from distribution and warehouse employees. Report a safety hazard, an injury, harassment, or wage theft, and suddenly your hours drop, your evaluations sour, or you are written up for things everyone does. The law protects employees who assert their rights, and retaliation is a separate violation even when the underlying complaint does not succeed. In a quota-driven warehouse, retaliation often hides inside metrics, and we know how to pull the numbers apart.
Wage, hour, and fair pay violations
Hourly warehouse and distribution work generates overtime disputes: off-the-clock loading and security screening time, misclassified salaried roles that are really hourly jobs, and miscalculated overtime rates. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the Texas Payday Law both give workers a way to recover unpaid wages, and FLSA claims can reach back two years, or three for willful violations. Fair pay is not a favor an employer grants. It is a legal obligation, and unpaid overtime often adds up to far more than workers expect once the hours are counted correctly.
If your problem with a company is a contract or business dispute rather than a workplace claim, our civil litigation team serving Schertz handles those. And if you were physically hurt on the job, start with our Schertz personal injury attorneys, because Texas non-subscriber rules may let you sue directly.
Protecting employee rights against large employers
The employee rights that matter most in Schertz come from a stack of state and federal laws, and a large logistics employer is expected to know all of them. Title VII, the TCHRA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act each protect a different part of your working life. A company with a national HR department cannot claim it did not understand the rules.
Workers who assert those rights should not pay a price for it. Requesting a disability accommodation, taking protected medical leave, reporting harassment, or asking why your overtime is short are all activities the law protects. When an employer answers by cutting your hours, changing your schedule, or building a paper trail to justify firing you, that response can be a claim of its own. We help Schertz employees recognize the difference between a lawful management decision and an unlawful one.
Standing up to a company with those resources is intimidating, which is exactly why employers count on workers staying quiet. You do not have to carry that alone. An employment lawyer levels the field by handling the filings, the deadlines, and the direct contact with the company, so you can keep living your life while your claim moves forward.
Deadlines that can end your claim
A Schertz employee with a discrimination or retaliation claim generally must file a charge with the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days of the discriminatory act, or with the EEOC within 300 days. Missing that window usually ends the claim before it starts, no matter how strong the underlying facts are. Wage claims run on separate clocks, and the FLSA generally lets you reach back two years, or three for willful violations.
These windows are shorter than most people expect, and they start running from the date of the harmful act, not the date you figured out it was illegal. If something at work feels wrong, get an opinion early. A consultation costs you nothing, and waiting can cost you the claim. Our employment law practice page explains the process in more detail.
How we build an employment case
We start with your story and your paper trail: offer letters, handbooks, write-ups, performance reviews, texts, emails, schedules, and pay records. Then we build the timeline that connects your protected activity or protected status to the employer’s decision. In quota-driven warehouse environments, the data often tells the story, because productivity numbers and discipline records show who was actually treated differently.
Where a charge must be filed first, we handle the TWC or EEOC process, position statements, and the right-to-sue letter. If the employer will not resolve the case fairly, we file suit and litigate it. Depending on where in Schertz you worked and where the employer is located, that can mean the Guadalupe County district courts in Seguin, the Bexar County courts in San Antonio, the Comal County courts in New Braunfels, or federal court. A successful employment claim can recover lost wages and benefits, compensation for emotional harm, and in some cases reinstatement or additional damages, and many statutes let a winning employee recover attorney’s fees from the employer.
Serving workers throughout Schertz and surrounding communities
We represent employees across Schertz, from the distribution corridor along I-35 to the school campuses and small businesses near Main Street and FM 3009. Our New Braunfels team also represents workers in Cibolo, New Braunfels, Seguin, and Bulverde.
What it costs to hire an employment attorney
Most employment cases we accept are handled on a contingency fee basis: you pay attorney fees only if we recover money for you. Many federal and Texas employment statutes also let a winning employee recover attorney’s fees from the employer, which is one reason companies take a well-prepared claim seriously. We explain the fee structure plainly at the consultation, before you commit to anything, so you know exactly how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Can I be fired for reporting a safety issue at a Schertz warehouse?
Not legally. Firing or punishing an employee for reporting safety hazards, workplace injuries, or illegal conduct can support a retaliation claim. In distribution and logistics jobs, retaliation often looks like cut hours, sudden write-ups, or impossible quota enforcement rather than an outright firing. Document everything and talk to an employment lawyer quickly.
How much does an employment lawyer cost in Texas?
At Key Trial Lawyers, most employment cases run on a contingency fee, so you pay attorney fees only if we recover money for you. Many discrimination and wage statutes also shift attorney’s fees onto the employer when the employee wins. We go over the fee arrangement at the free consultation, so you never have to guess what representation will cost.
Is it worth suing my employer?
That depends on the facts, the evidence, and the deadlines, which is why the first step is an honest case review rather than a lawsuit. A strong claim can recover lost pay, compensation for harm, and sometimes attorney’s fees. A weak one may not be worth the strain. We give you a straight assessment of both the upside and the risk before you decide anything.
I work in Schertz but my employer is based in San Antonio. Where would my case be filed?
It depends on the claim and the parties. Schertz spans Guadalupe, Bexar, and Comal counties, so a case could land in the Guadalupe County district courts in Seguin, the Bexar County courts in San Antonio, or the Comal County courts in New Braunfels. Many discrimination and wage claims can also proceed in federal court. We determine the right forum for your specific facts.
Does Texas sexual harassment law cover small employers in Schertz?
Yes. Since September 2021, Texas sexual harassment law applies to employers of any size, even those with a single employee, and it requires employers to take immediate and appropriate corrective action when harassment is reported. Small shops and offices in Schertz are covered just like the large logistics employers.
What if my employer owes me overtime pay?
The Fair Labor Standards Act lets most hourly workers recover unpaid overtime going back two years, or three years for willful violations, often with an equal amount added as liquidated damages. The Texas Payday Law offers another route for unpaid wages. Keep your schedules and pay stubs, and have a lawyer run the numbers.
Contact a Schertz employment lawyer today
Employment claims are won and lost on timing. Charge deadlines run out in months, coworkers change jobs, and the documents that prove your case get harder to reach the longer you wait. If you believe your employer broke the law, find out for certain now.
Key Trial Lawyers offers confidential consultations to workers in Schertz and across the surrounding communities. Bring your story and whatever records you have. We will give you a straight answer about whether you have a case and what pursuing it looks like. You can also reach us through our contact page.
Call (512) 861-1280 to speak with an employment attorney today.
