Both federal fair pay standards and California state laws create financial obligations for employers. Companies must conform to fair pay laws that require minimum hourly wages for workers, overtime pay requirements for those with longer work weeks and other key...
Employment Law
Wage and hour information for California employees
Navigating the landscape of employment laws in California can be daunting for employees, especially when it comes to understanding particularly complex aspects of employment law. Yet, even when they aren’t so easy to understand at a glance, it can be comforting to...
Does at-will employment eliminate the possibility of wrongful termination?
California has relatively expansive employment laws. Many state statutes build on federal protections and enhance the rights of workers. However, California is still an at-will employment state. Companies can fire workers with little advance warning and for just about...
3 ways misclassification harms California workers
Some things that employers do to save money can directly harm their workers. Certain forms of employer misconduct have an obvious negative impact on workers. Safety violations, for example could lead to catastrophic workplace accidents. Cost-cutting measures could...
Layoffs and downsizing can help companies hide wrongful termination
Although the law generally allows employers to terminate a worker's job at any point, even without a specific reason for doing so, there are still certain types of terminations that are against the law. For example, employers cannot fire a worker because of their...
What type of evidence can help with a wage theft claim?
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...
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...