Fired or punished for speaking up in El Paso?
Losing your job, hours or standing after you reported misconduct, took protected leave or exercised a workplace right may be unlawful.
If your workplace rights were violated, you may be able to pursue compensation for lost pay or emotional harm, and hold your employer accountable.
Not sure whether it was "serious enough"? You can request a review even if you never reported it to HR or are still employed.
What wrongful termination can look like, and what the law calls it.
Not every unfair firing is unlawful. What matters is the real reason behind the decision, and whether that reason is one the law prohibits.
My reviews were fine for years. Then I raised a concern, and suddenly I was 'not a fit.'
The law calls it → potentially wrongful termination
- I was let go shortly after reporting a problem at work. The law calls it → possible retaliatory termination
- They didn't fire me outright, they made the job impossible until I quit. The law calls it → possible constructive discharge
- The stated reason for my firing doesn't match what actually happened. The law calls it → possible pretext for an unlawful termination
- After asking about missing overtime at an El Paso distribution hub, I was cut from the schedule for good. The law calls it → possible retaliation or retaliatory termination
These cover fired for an unlawful reason, fired after reporting misconduct, fired in breach of an agreement, pushed out instead of formally fired, retaliation for asserting workplace rights, in any industry. If something here is familiar, you don't have to be sure before you ask.
Illustrative situations, not client accounts.
El Paso's cross-border logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and Fort Bliss-adjacent civilian employers all sit under Texas retaliation law: a Chapter 21 charge is generally due to the Texas Workforce Commission within 180 days, a federal EEOC charge within 300 days, and a lawsuit within 60 days of a right-to-sue notice. Sabine Pilot adds a court claim only for firings whose sole cause was refusing an illegal act.
What could taking action help you pursue?
Depending on the facts, legal action may help recover financial losses, address emotional harm, restore employment opportunities, or require workplace changes. Available remedies depend on the facts and applicable law; no outcome is guaranteed.
Recover what you lost
Lost pay, benefits, hours, and employment opportunities tied to the unlawful conduct.
Address the harm
Compensation for emotional distress may be available where the law provides for it.
Restore an opportunity
Some cases may involve reinstatement, promotion, corrected records, or another job-related remedy.
Create accountability
A resolution may include policy changes, training, or other corrective workplace action.
You do not need a perfect record, or even to know whether what happened was illegal, before asking what your options are.
Common concerns we hear from employees
I never reported it to HR.
You may still have legal options. Not reporting immediately does not automatically end your rights, although the specific facts can affect a claim.
I don't have screenshots or witnesses.
You do not need a complete evidence file before contacting us. We can help identify texts, emails, schedules, witnesses, and other evidence that may matter.
I still work there.
You can ask questions while still employed. Retaliating against a worker for opposing unlawful conduct or asserting protected rights may itself be unlawful.
My employer says I was fired for performance. Does that end the issue?
No. The stated reason is evidence, not the final answer. Timing, earlier reviews, shifting explanations, and how coworkers were treated can all show the real reason was retaliation.
Craig J. Ackermann
Shareholder · Admitted in Texas
Craig Ackermann represents Texas employees in harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and wage matters. He is licensed in California, Washington, and Texas.
Read Craig's full bio →Selected retaliation, discrimination, and harassment results.
$370K
Individual plaintiff · judgment includes fees and costs · Title VII retaliation judgment
Final
$23.5M
Financial-services workforce · 150 women · Sexual harassment settlement
Final · Craig Ackermann served as second chair (prior-firm experience)
$15M+
Apparel industry · individual plaintiff · Gender pay and promotion discrimination
Jury verdict, subject to post-trial proceedings, statutory limits, and appeal. Not a settlement or a collected recovery.
$1.3M
Construction workforce · 19 Black workers · Racial harassment
Final
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different; the value and outcome of your matter will depend on its specific facts.
What happens after you reach out?
You don't need documents, a lawyer-ready story, or even certainty that what happened was illegal.
- 01
Talk with us
A short initial conversation about what happened and when.
- 02
We assess the record
We identify possible claims, deadlines and evidence that may matter.
- 03
If we take the case
We handle the filing strategy, negotiations and litigation.
Deadlines can depend on where and how you file
Texas and federal claims may follow different filing routes. These are general time limits, not sequential steps.
Generally, to file a Chapter 21 retaliation complaint with the Texas Workforce Commission.
Texas Labor Code ch. 21 ↗Often, to file a federal retaliation charge with the EEOC when state or local law also covers the claim.
EEOC, How to File a Charge ↗Generally, to file a lawsuit after receiving a Chapter 21 right-to-sue notice.
Texas Labor Code ch. 21 ↗Other claims and exceptions may have different or shorter deadlines. Contact counsel promptly so the applicable dates can be reviewed.
TCHRA retaliation and Sabine Pilot wrongful discharge
Tex. Lab. Code § 21.055; Sabine Pilot Service, Inc. v. Hauck
Primary source, Tex. Lab. Code § 21.055; Sabine Pilot Service, Inc. v. Hauck ↗Share what happened in about two minutes. The firm will review your submission and contact you about possible options and next steps. There is no cost or obligation to request a review.
Deadlines and filing issues for workers in El Paso.
- Cross-border commuting workers sometimes assume Texas deadlines pause for immigration or residency issues; they never do.
- Maquiladora-linked logistics firms restructure often, and a restructuring dated just after a complaint deserves hard scrutiny.
- One hundred eighty days is under six months; a worker who waits for the next harvest of paychecks has often already lost the charge.
- Retaliation against a worker for a wage claim filed with any agency is separately unlawful, but its remedies still require timely filing.
- The 60-day post-notice window does not extend for settlement talks in progress.
Where do you file a wrongful termination claim in El Paso?
EEOC El Paso Area Office
Stanton Towers, 100 N. Stanton Street, Suite 600El Paso, TX 79901
1-800-669-4000 EEOC Public Portal →
El Paso County Civil District Courts
El Paso County Courthouse500 E San Antonio Avenue
El Paso, TX 79901
The narrow Sabine Pilot claim proceeds directly in court. A related Chapter 21 retaliation claim ordinarily requires TWC or EEOC exhaustion.
The filing path, step by step
- 1Secure your evidence across the language barrier if needed: complaints and warnings in Spanish are equally protected and equally provable.
- 2File the TWC Civil Rights Division charge within 180 days; online intake serves El Paso without travel.
- 3The EEOC's El Paso Area Office handles federal charges, filed through the Public Portal within 300 days.
- 4After a right-to-sue notice, the Chapter 21 suit is generally due within 60 days, in El Paso County district court or the Western District of Texas, El Paso division.
- 5For a refusal-based firing, document the unlawful instruction precisely; the Sabine Pilot doctrine demands that the refusal be the sole reason.
Wrongful-termination information in other Texas cities
- AustinWrongful-termination information
- DallasWrongful-termination information
- Fort WorthWrongful-termination information
- HoustonWrongful-termination information
- San AntonioWrongful-termination information
Asked by El Paso workers.
I complained about unpaid overtime at an El Paso warehouse and was fired. Can they do that?
Retaliation for a wage complaint is unlawful. The viable routes and remedies depend on filing the right charge within Texas's short windows.
Do my rights change if some of my paperwork or complaints were in Spanish?
No. Protected activity is protected in any language, and Spanish-language records are ordinary evidence in El Paso courts and agencies.
My employer is military-adjacent. Does that matter?
Civilian employees of private contractors keep their Texas and federal claims; only direct federal employment changes the procedural landscape.
Which courts serve El Paso workers?
El Paso County district courts for state claims; the Western District of Texas, El Paso division, for federal claims.