[COLUMN] Frequently asked questions about California’s laws on breaks
Q: I HAVE just entered the work force and I work in the service industry on 12-hour shifts. My supervisor says I am entitled to one 30-minute lunch break and…
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[COLUMN] How to know if an employment termination is ‘wrongful’
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…
[COLUMN] Personal injuries and your rights at work
Q: I WAS severely injured in a recent car accident while returning to work on an errand. I had to undergo multiple surgeries. I missed several weeks of work and…
[COLUMN] US women soccer team scores in fight to end unequal pay
ABOUT two months before the start of the 2019 World Cup in France where it was scheduled to defend its title as World Cup Champions, the US Women Soccer Team…
[COLUMN] Protecting consumers’ right to privacy online
IN 2010, Facebook instituted an update to its site called “Open Graph,” which introduced Facebook users to a “Like” button that they could click to show to their networks their interests…
[COLUMN] When you experience ‘adverse employment action’ for doing the right thing
DENISE Bertone worked as a coroner investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DMEC). For most of her 25-year tenure, she was the expert pediatric coroner investigator…
[COLUMN] Employees entitled to penalty payments from employer for labor violations
Q: I recently resigned from work because I was tired of being shorted on overtime pay, not being given breaks half the time, being made to work before and after…
[COLUMN] CA employees may have more paid sick leave due to COVID surge
Q: COVID continues to be problem for many and is hitting close to home with these new variants that are highly contagious (I know relatives and friends who are getting…
[COLUMN] Unequal pay + sexually-hostile workplace = sex discrimination: The sequel
WE previously wrote in this column about the case against Riot Games, Inc., a multi-billion dollar video game developer, with headquarters in Los Angeles, operating in 24 offices around the…
[COLUMN] Mandatory meetings, remote training are hours worked & must be paid
Sevag Chalian worked as a pharmacist for CVS Pharmacy Inc. Chalian and other pharmacists are required by CVS to complete “mandatory training modules.” The employees were instructed to complete their…
[COLUMN] New laws taking effect in 2022
Minimum Wage Increases Effective Jan. 1, 2022, the California state minimum wage will increase to $15 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees. For employers with 25 or…
[COLUMN] Should you be paid more for working on holidays?
Q: I will be working on Christmas and New Year days. Am I entitled to holiday pay? A: Hours worked on holidays are treated like hours worked on any other…
[COLUMN] ‘Managers’ may still be owed overtime
PAMELA Ruben-Knudsen and Marnine Casillas were employed as Client Service Managers by Arthur J. Gallagher and Co., a brokerage firm. Client service managers are salaried and considered exempt from overtime….
[COLUMN] Defending discriminated co-workers is protected activity
IN 2016, Robert Fernandez, then 70 years old and disabled due to diabetes, was hired by Puente Hills Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. Even though he had trouble walking and standing…
[COLUMN] Remedies for employees fired due to whistleblowing retaliation
Teresa Brooke was hired by Aurora Santa Rosa Hospital as its Chief Nursing Officer in May 2016. The hospital provides in-patient care, partial hospitalization, and outpatient mental health care for…
[COLUMN] Employer’s duty to find suitable job for the disabled employee
Q: I WORKED at a company for more than 20 years. I was injured at work several months ago and I was forced to take a leave of absence so…
[COLUMN] Termination during approved medical leave may be illegal
Is employee’s travel an abuse of medical leave? Q: I HAD surgery and my employer approved the doctor-prescribed 6 weeks of medical leave. While on leave, I travelled to the…
[COLUMN] When a job termination is illegal retaliation
AFROUZ Nikmanesh worked as a pharmacist for Walmart for more than 10 years. During her time as a Walmart pharmacist, Dr. Nikmanesh reported several noncompliance issues to management. These included…
[COLUMN] Who else should be liable for compensating the seriously injured?
QUICHANG Zhu (72 years old) and her grandson, Jian Hao Kuang (6 years old), were using a crosswalk to cross a street in Sacramento, CA. The intersection has no traffic…
[COLUMN] Granting employees intermittent leave is reasonable accommodation
Q: I HAVE a heart condition that has become worse recently. I need to see my doctor periodically or when I feel dizzy or short of breath. This means I…
[COLUMN] Termination of employee during medical treatments violates disability discrimination laws
Albert and Stephanie Garcia, a married couple, were hired in 2013 by Sierra Management to work as on-site managers of an 81-unit apartment building in Canoga Park. The Garcias were…
[COLUMN] ‘Silenced no more’ laws: Employees may disclose acts of discrimination & harassment
IN the wake of the #MeToo movement, there has been a lot of attention focused on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), also known as confidentiality agreements (CAs). Sexual harassment victims who agreed to settle their…
[COLUMN] Misclassified ‘salaried’ employees who work long hours entitled to back wages
AARON Kudatsky worked as an implementation consultant in California for Tyler Technologies, a company that sells business and public sector operations software being used in finance, payroll, billing, and others….
[COLUMN] The fight of misclassified independent contractors in the gig economy continues
BACK in 2020, Proposition 22 was voted into law. App-based companies like Uber, Lyft, and Doordash spent upwards of $200 million in funding to get Californians to vote on this…
[COLUMN] Is unfair romantic favoritism at work sex discrimination?
William Maner worked for decades as a biomedical design engineer in the laboratory of employer, Dr. Robert Garfield. Garfield’s laboratory initially operated in Texas. Maner’s coworkers were Dr. Yuan Dong,…
[COLUMN] Misclassified independent contractors are entitled to back pay and damages
Lime runs electric scooters, electric bikes, normal pedal bikes, electric mopeds and car sharing systems in metropolitan areas to customers through its mobile app. Lime hires persons known as “Juicers”…
[COLUMN] New guidance on sexual orientation and gender discrimination at work
CAN an employer fire someone simply for being gay or transgender? No, according to the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark decision in Bostock v Clayton County. Title VII of…
[COLUMN] Do employees have remedies for claims too small to file in court?
I WORK for a company that shorts us on pay, nothing big, like 15 minutes of overtime two to three time per week and breaks that are not provided once…
[COLUMN] Private employers may soon require all its employees to be COVID vaccinated
Q: I work for a private company in California that is not in healthcare or education. My employer just sent a company-wide memo requiring that all employees must be vaccinated…
[COLUMN] Employee rights and California mandates to get a COVID vaccine
Q: I HEARD California is requiring workers to be vaccinated. My employer just sent a memo to everyone saying that employees must be vaccinated in order to be allowed into…