Hundreds of thousands of California independent contractors and gig workers will likely not have to reimburse the state for overpaid Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits. The new COVID-19 stimulus package signed into law allows states to waive attempts to collect excessive PUA payments as long as workers meet two requirements:…
A nearly decade-long court battle ends as national department store chain Burlington Stores Inc. has agreed to pay almost $20 million for misclassifying workers to avoid paying them overtime. According to court records, roughly 1,630 employees will receive an average payment of $12,000 as part of the settlement. California workers…
For decades, farmworkers in California were excluded from most state and federal wage and hour laws requiring employers to pay overtime for time worked exceeding 40 hours per week or eight hours per day. Since 1976, agricultural employers were only required to pay OT to those working more than 10…
State and federal laws protect California workers against employers who expect or require their employees to perform work-related duties without compensation. Working “off the clock” is a common wage and hour violation for any uncompensated work done for an employer that should count for overtime purposes. Typical off-the-clock violations California…
Employers sometimes commit wage theft through illegal deductions from their workers’ paychecks. California law protects employees and penalizes employers for these violations, just as they do for failing to pay overtime, denying rest or meal breaks or other illegal activity. In the Golden State, employers can only make deductions allowed…
As an employee, you have the right to fair treatment by your employer. This doesn’t mean everything will always go as planned, but there are both federal and state laws in place to help protect you against unfair circumstances. If you suspect that you were wrongfully terminated, you’re sure to…
Employers commit wage theft in a number of ways, such as not paying minimum wage or overtime, refusing to give rest or meal breaks or failing to follow other wage and hour laws. If you experience any of these infractions, you can submit a claim with the California Department of…
An economic think tank says workers – especially those whose earnings are at or near the minimum wage – are more likely to experience wage violations during an economic downturn. The Washington Center for Equitable Growth says workers, on average, lose one-fifth of their pay to wage theft. Researchers say…
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act safeguards workers, families and communities from plant closings or mass layoffs by stipulating that employers give a 60-day notice to employees as well as state and local representatives. The advance notice helps give workers time to transition from the loss of their…
California is one of a handful of states that requires employers to provide nonexempt workers with a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break if they work at least five hours during a shift. The meal break can only be waived by mutual consent when a shift is less than six hours. A…