Wage theft is pretty much at epidemic levels in this country. By dollars and dimes, wage theft deprives U.S. workers of roughly $50 billion every year – and about half a billion or so is owed to workers right here in California. Wage theft can include everything from...
Employment Law
3 facts California workers should know about bereavement leave
California often leads the way when it comes to workers' rights. Lawmakers in the Golden State are known for creating new standards that exceed the federally-available rights of workers. For example, the state recently instituted a new law that protects workers by...
Can your employer take your tips?
You get a new job working as a server at a local restaurant. It’s your first time working in this industry. You’re excited on the first day when you get a number of tips. You start to realize just how lucrative this endeavor could be. But that excitement fades when...
How California’s pay transparency law can help employees
California employees have more access to wage and salary data than ever thanks to the “pay transparency” law that took effect at the beginning of 2023. The law requires businesses and other employers that have at least 15 employees to include wage or salary ranges on...
Can an employer refuse to hire you because you might get pregnant?
As an employee, you know that you’re not supposed to be discriminated against if you are pregnant. If you’re going to an interview and the interviewer tells you that there’s no way they’re going to hire you while you’re pregnant and that you might as well leave the...
2 groups of workers who deserve overtime pay but may not get it
Overtime pay is one of the most basic rights of modern American workers. With the exception of certain exempt workers, employees generally have the right to receive 150% of their average hourly wage when they put in more than 40 hours in a specific work week. Overtime...
3 ways pregnancy can affect the careers of expectant mothers
Pregnant women sometimes experience challenging health issues as a result of their gestational status. Pregnancy can lead to hypertension, diabetes, chronic pain and consistent fatigue. A doctor who is supervising a woman's progress may inform her that she needs to...
What happens if a misclassified worker gets hurt on the job?
Businesses are always on the lookout for ways to reduce their operational costs. Given that labor is often one of the biggest recurring expenses a company has, it makes sense that for-profit organizations often look for ways to reduce their staffing costs. The costs...
3 warning signs that your termination was wrongful
No one wants to lose a job, but people sometimes have to go through employment transitions against their own wishes. Companies may downsize because they aren't profitable enough or may let go of certain workers for a wide range of different reasons. Technically,...
Is an employer’s time clock rounding policy actually wage theft?
Employers have long used increments shorter than individual minutes or seconds to measure how long their workers were on the job. Many companies have historically used five, 10 and even 15-minute increments for the purposes of calculating payroll. Workers would need...