Both California law and federal law provide significant protection for workers. But these legal rights mean nothing unless you know what they are. California employers frequently violate labor laws to save money.
Some of the employer practices we have brought to an end, and recovered money for the affected employees, include:
- Workers being forced to perform work off the clock or in cash (no overtime);
- Workers denied the right to timely and off-duty meal and rest breaks, such as receptionists, dispatchers, assembly line workers, drivers and security guards;
- Workers improperly paid a salary or treated as exempt from overtime, such as construction superintendents, or employees improperly classified as independent contractors and paid on a Form 1099;
- Piece rate workers, such as installers, automobile repair and service technicians, and others who do not receive piece rate overtime or have not always been paid an hourly rate for rest break time in addition to their piece rate compensation;
- Workers who are forced to sign on-duty meal period agreements under circumstances that do not permit such an agreement;
- Workers who must use their vehicle for work but do not receive full reimbursement for all costs, including a fair share of maintenance, insurance and other expenses from miles driven.
