Q: I work for a large company and recently took a leave of absence due to pregnancy disability. My pregnancy was high-risk and I used up all of my 4 months of leave. However, due to some health complications, after the birth of my child, my doctor says I still cannot return to work, and…

Q: I WORK at UX Corp, a big national processing plant. However, I am employed by ABC Agency, a subcontractor of UX Corp. ABC Agency pays my wages. We often work more than 8 hours per day at UX Corp but we are not paid overtime. When we complain to managers at UX Corp about…

National origin is not a bar to recovery Immigrants are a growing part of the labor force in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014, there were 25.7 million foreign-born persons in the US labor force, comprising 16.5 percent of the total workforce. According to the Office of Occupational Safety,…

Privacy suit filed against doctor and hospital Norma Lozano was a patient at UCLA Medical Center. According to the Daily Journal, she had been fighting with Dedreck Harris, her ex-boyfriend. Harris’ current girlfriend, Alexis Price, worked as a medical assistant for Dr. John Edwards, a private doctor who had access to UCLA’s health records. Even…

Mayra Casas worked as a sales clerk for Victoria’s Secret in one of the company’s California stores.  Casas claimed that she, and other employees, were required by the company to “call-in” two hours before their scheduled shift to see if work was available. If there was no work for them, they should not show up….

ROBERT Wascher, M.D. began working as a cancer surgeon for Southern California Permanente Medical Group (“Kaiser”) in 2009. He was the only specialty-trained cancer surgeon for Kaiser’s 440,000 patients in Orange County. Dr. Wascher expressed concern to Kaiser that non-trained surgeons were allowed to perform complex cancer surgeries resulting in high death rates among patients….

Employer’s failure may be disability discrimination PATRICIA Hancock was a warehouse worker for Time Warner Cable for 8 years in its Bellflower facility.  Part of her job was to pull heavy pallets of cable boxes. In August 2011, she injured her neck and reported it to her supervisor. According to Hancock, the supervisor responded “OK” without…

“ California law allows employers to require its employees to wear uniforms as a condition of employment. Employers may prescribe the weight, color, texture, style, form, and make of uniforms required to be worn by their employees.” Q: I WORK at a clothing store in California as an hourly employee. Our employer requires us to…

SEARS Department Store in North Hollywood, California, hired Alejandro Gamiz in 2005 as a maintenance worker. From 2009 to 2012, while working for Sears, Gamiz created peep holes in the women’s restrooms and dressing rooms and the children’s dressing rooms in order to spy on them while they’re undressing in these rooms. Gamiz also installed…

Q: I WORK for a temp agency as an hourly employee and I recently got sick. I asked the employer if I was entitled to paid sick leave. I was told that I was not entitled to paid sick leave because I was a temporary worker. Is this right? A: The law used to be…

Q: SEVERAL days ago, I was terminated from work. To add insult to injury, my employer has not given me my final pay. When I called to ask the status of my paycheck, I was told they mailed it to me. I have waited for it but have not received it. What are my rights…

ELAINE Allyn has worked as the Director of Educational Technology for Fallbrook Union Elementary School District in San Diego County for about 18 years. In early August 2011, Allyn’s boss, Ray Proctor, instructed her to wipe out the district’s entire electronic data imaging in the archive system and to wipe out all emails in the…

Why workers should fight for employee status “UBER driver deemed employee by Labor Commissioner” is a headline.  Why should this matter? Because employees receive more, in terms of pay, and in terms of legal protection than independent contractors. Employees, for instance, are reimbursed for expenses they incurred in performing their work. The driver’s claims against…

CUSTOMERS give tips in appreciation for the service of waiters, bellboys, hotel maids, valets, drivers, and even performers who sing and dance. Can employers demand a share of these tips from their employees? Quincece Hills, a topless and nude dancer at the City of Industry nightclub, Paradise Showgirls, sued the nightclub and its owners, alleging…

Q: MY employer has been sued in a class action by another employee who is trying to collect unpaid wages. All the employees, including me, received a Notice from an Administrator saying that the attorneys who filed the class action want to obtain my name and contact information because I might be a member of…

Q. I WANT to file a wage claim against my employer for unpaid overtime hours and missed breaks. Some of my fellow employees, who also have unpaid overtime and missed breaks, want to file with me but they are afraid of being fired if they complain. Is there a way that I can claim wages…

BETWEEN 2005 and 2013, Sheri Garibaldi worked as a part-time teller for Bank of America (BOA), in its branches in Belmont and Foster, California. Garibaldi was classified as a “20 hour” part-time employee, although she was regularly scheduled to work more than 20 hours per week. As part of her wages, Garibaldi received paid time…

WE often hear about women being denied a job, a promotion, or higher pay because the employer preferred to give the job, promotion or more money to a man. In the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) an opposite scenario unfolded. Peter Bakotich, Michael Fanning and Debbie Guerrero worked as senior detectives assigned to LAPD’s Fugitive…

CHRIS Cerbone was hired as a head football coach and physical education teacher at a private high school in the summer of 2012. According to news outlets, sometime in December 2012, Cerbone heard that varsity football players were hazing freshman players in the school locker room. The older players were allegedly exposing their genitals to…

Q: I AM a registered nurse in the Philippines but I have not yet obtained a license in California. However, I am working as a ‘private nurse’ to a bed-ridden patient in Los Angeles. My duties are mainly nursing duties – tube feedings, inserting catheter, tracheal suctioning, observing and recording vital signs, administering therapies prescribed…

OUR client, Teresa,* has always lived with a serious lung condition since childhood. Although Teresa knew that her condition limited her activities, she did her best to live a productive work life. She finished her schooling in the Philippines and worked in several skilled jobs there before she came to the U.S. with her two…

S.W. was 15 years old when Luis Morales offered her a job at US Metro Group, Inc., where Morales worked. S.W., who was best friends with Morales’ daughter, accepted Morales’ offer. She started working with Morales cleaning buildings at night. Morales then began sexually molesting S.W. He was later caught and criminally prosecuted. S.W. sued…

PEGGY Young worked as a part-time driver for United Parcel Service (UPS). Her responsibilities included pickup and delivery of packages that had arrived by air carrier the previous night. In 2006, after suffering several miscarriages, she became pregnant. Her doctor told her that she should not lift more than 20 pounds during the first 20…

LAST year, we discussed the lawsuit filed by the Raiderettes, the cheer squad for the Oakland Raiders, who sued their employer for back wages and reimbursements. The lawsuit claimed that the employer withheld pay from the employees until after the football season ended and did not pay for hours worked outside the games. The cheerleaders…

Q:  I AM a salaried employee exempt from overtime. I often work more than 40 hours per week. However, there are days when I work less than 8 hours per day. For example, last week, due to a personal emergency, I was able to work for 6 hours only. When I work less than 8…

Q: I WORKED in a company for over 10 years. A new supervisor and I do not get along. Last week, the company let me go without any explanation. I don’t have any disciplinary record. Can the company just fire me without a good reason? A: Yes, an employer may fire an employee without a…

When employees are entitled to additional pay Q: I AM a full-time employee at a company that pays us on a piece-rate basis for every task that we finish. For an eight-hour shift, we are told we are entitled to two paid 15-minute rest periods. What does this mean for a pieceworker like me? A:…

IN April 2009, Robert Pedowitz, M.D., was hired by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) to become chairperson of its Department of Orthopedic Surgery. In the first year of his chairmanship, Dr. Pedowitz reported to top UCLA officials his concerns regarding colleagues who were receiving money from medical-device makers in possible violation of the…

When meal waivers don’t apply SOME employees work 12-hour shifts, such as nurses, therapists, technicians, or even caregivers and domestic employees. Because of the realities of their job, especially for those who work in hospitals or skilled nursing facilities, they may find themselves working continuously without being provided their mandated breaks. Hourly employees are entitled…

(Part 2) LAST week, we discussed the case of a class of “Review Appraisers,” employed by Bank of America (BoA), who recently obtained approval of a settlement for $5.8 million. The employees sued BoA for alleged overtime violations, itemized wage statement violations, meal and rest period violations, waiting time penalties, and civil penalties against the…