Calabasas Employment Law Blog

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.

Hourly workers deserve to receive fair pay for every minute they work. Unfortunately, there are many ways that companies can attempt to take advantage of their hourly workers. There are a range of schemes that businesses can employ to minimize how much they pay their workers.

One common tactic is to avoid paying overtime to staff at all costs. Overtime wages are a right of hourly workers under U.S. federal law. For almost any professional, working past the 40th hour in any given pay period should entitle them to at least one and a half times their standard hourly rate of pay.

For workers who are discriminated against or who have suffered wrongful termination, legal protections are available. If an employee has been fired for an unlawful reason, it may be considered wrongful termination and legal resources may be available to help the employees that have been harmed by the unlawful acts of an employer.

Wrongful termination can occur in circumstances when an employee has been fired for reporting workplace discrimination, harassment or retaliation; when an employee has been fired for demanding that they be compensated for overtime hours worked; when an employee has been fired for protesting unsafe or illegal working conditions; when an employee is fired for refusing to violate the law; when an employee refuses to commit fraud against the government; when the employee has reported a misappropriation of funds; and when employees refuse to engage in discrimination or retaliation.

It is important for employers not to take advantage of their employees who go to work each day to earn a living and support themselves and their families. Workers should be familiar with the ways employers can take advantage of them and the remedies and resources they have available to them if they do.

Employee rights are an important protection under the law and are worth workers being familiar with. One way that employers can take advantage of workers and violate their rights is to fail to pay overtime pay. When employers require workers to clock out early or alter time sheets so as not to pay overtime pay, they may have violated the worker's rights. Another way that an employer may take advantage of employees that is against the law is by improperly classifying them as independent contractor. If a worker does not meet this definition but is classified by an employer as such, they may pay more taxes than they expect and go without benefits.