Calabasas Employment Law Blog

Workplace discrimination is prohibited in the workplace making it important for workers to understand what the different types of workplace discrimination are. Workers need to be able to enforce their rights against workplace discrimination and need to know what it refers to in order to do that.

Workplace discrimination based on race, national origin, gender, pregnancy or religion are all prohibited. Workplace discrimination based on age is also barred, as well as workplace discrimination based on disability. Workers also have other equal pay protections to be aware of. Workers are also protected from unlawful retaliation in the workplace and unlawful termination. A variety of federal laws protect workers from workplace discrimination in their jobs and state laws may also apply as well. Employment laws work to protect workers on-the-job.

Wage and hour violations refer to monies that a worker has earned and should have received following a hard day's work. When an employer in California has violated the wage and hour laws and protections afforded to workers in the state, there can be consequences.

Wage and hour violations can go back 4 years and, at the minimum, ensure that California workers earn and are paid at least the minimum wage for their work in the state. Wage and hour violations can occur when the worker was paid by the job but not paid for their time between jobs; when the worker was not paid overtime pay they earned; when the worker was paid on commission but not for time the employee spent working when they could not earn a commission; if the worker is told to wait to clock in after beginning work; if the worker was sent home from their scheduled shift; if the worker is not allowed meal or rest breaks; and if the employee was terminated or resigned and had to wait any period of time for their final paycheck.

Employers can legally discriminate against workers for some reasons, but not others. An employer may have a legitimate business reason for giving a raise to one worker and not another, or for firing one worker and not another. But certain types of discrimination are illegal under federal and state laws. For example, it is illegal for an employer to fire a worker on the basis of the worker's race or religion.

When an employee has been fired for an unlawful reason, they may have legal recourse through a wrongful termination claim. Monetary damages and severance may be available to workers who have been wrongfully terminated, so it is essential for workers who think they might have been wrongful terminated to be familiar with the legal protections available to them.

It is important for workers to receive all the pay they have earned, so they can support their families. It is important for them to know how to stand up against wage and hour violations and to be familiar with the legal options and protections available to them to ensure they receive what they are owed.

Workers generally must, at a minimum, receive minimum wage for the work they performed. In addition, workers may be owed compensation if they were paid by the job but not paid separately for time between jobs; if they were paid for sales commissions but not time spent at work when they were unable to earn a commission; if the worker was not paid for all of their overtime worked or at the overtime rate of pay; if the worker was told to wait to clock in after arriving at work; if the worker was told to go home after arriving at work; if the worker was not provided meal and rest breaks; or if the worker was terminated or resigned before receiving their final paycheck.