The Texas oil and gas boom has made many Texans better off economically, and it has provided a lot of jobs for Texans who were going through difficult times previously. Unfortunately, the boom in jobs has brought with it a significant increase in attempts by employers to squeeze every last dollar out of their employers…

Over the past few weeks, there have been several reports that North Carolina-based retailer Belk, the largest family-owned and operated department store chain in the country, has hired Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to value the company and to “evaluate strategic alternatives, including a potential sale.” According to these reports, Goldman Sachs may have valued the…

With headquarters based in Houston, Archer is a globally active oil company which provides a range of drilling services. In filling the needs of its clients, Measurement While Drilling (MWD) workers and Directional Drillers (DD) play important roles. These employees ensure that drilling is executed in the most efficient way possible through the use of…

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, all employees must be compensated for overtime hours, unless they meet strict guidelines for exemption. Overtime is defined as any time worked beyond 40 hours in one week. These extra hours must be paid at a rate of 1.5 times a worker’s regular rate of pay. Unfortunately, many…

The oil and gas industry is a field known for requiring long hours and tiring manual labor. Many workers pull 12-hour shifts throughout the week, accumulating more than 80 hours on the job in one week. In some fields, working this much would lead to a nice overtime bonus, but for many oilfield employees, they…