The California Fair Pay Act signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown provides additional protection for equal pay in the state. California employers must offer equal pay for “substantially similar work,” though employers can offer different pay in certain situations. New Requirements Under the old California law, employers were required to provide equal pay only… Read More
Every employee, no matter what position they are in, the level they are at in their career, or for whom they work, is entitled to a safe and non-hostile work environment. If a work environment becomes hostile, that employee is entitled to pursue legal action. But, you may wonder, what does and does not constitute… Read More
Life is full of unexpected surprises—some wonderful, and others unfortunate. Often, those surprises come in the form of babies, injuries, illness, and loss. When the unexpected arises, we are forced to put everything else on hold, including our jobs. Without certain protections in place, we are forced to quit jobs during unexpected times. Fortunately, there… Read More
If you were fired or quit your job in California, you are entitled to pay immediately, or within 72 hours in certain circumstances. Most employers are pretty good about issuing a final paycheck within the specified timeframe, but every once in a while, an employer will push its luck and refuse to pay the former… Read More
As a California employee, it is crucial that you understand your rights under California’s labor code. Otherwise, you risk falling victim to wage and labor violations without even realizing it. One of these laws in the code is the California Private Attorney General Act (PAGA). What is the California Private Attorney General Act? PAGA allows employees… Read More
If you are successful in an employment case, you might settle with your employer for a sum of money. But how much of it can you keep and how much will you lose in taxes? Uncle Sam will come knocking, expecting a cut of the proceeds, so you and your attorney should discuss ahead of… Read More
The Key Elements of a Workplace Retaliation Claim Have you recently lost your job due to suspicious circumstances—suspicious meaning that you recently complained to HR about a frisky higher-up, or an investigation was recently opened because you engaged in whistleblowing activity, or you demanded higher pay because your male counterpart, of the same skill level… Read More
California Full-Time Hours: Getting the Facts Before the Affordable Care Act was introduced, workers understood that “full-time” meant a full 40-hour workweek, and any employee who worked less than that was considered “part-time.” However, with the introduction of the Affordable Care Act came along the new “full-time” employee—or one who works at least 30 hours… Read More
According to California Labor Code, Section 551, all California employees, regardless of occupation, are entitled to a least one rest day out of every seven days. Section 552 goes on to state that no employer may require employees to work more than six days out of a seven-day period, and any employer that tries to… Read More
Minimum Time Between Shifts for Hourly Employees in California Have you ever been scheduled to work from 2 p.m. until 11 p.m., and then from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.? Or maybe you were asked to pull a double shift, with one eight-hour shift ending at noon and the other beginning at 2 p.m.? If… Read More