Fifteen years ago, a state budget crisis pushed California to adopt the Private Attorneys General Act, or PAGA. This law allows private attorneys to sue employers on the state’s behalf when those employers violate certain state employment and labor laws. The law is...
Employee Rights
Walmart will pay $65 million settlement for denied seating
A class of almost 100,000 current and former cashiers at California Walmart stores reached a settlement last week with the retail giant. Walmart will pay $65 million to settle allegations that it violated California law by refusing to provide the cashiers with a place...
Her boss should have protected her from a violent co-worker
What happens when a co-worker with a history of violence assaults someone at work? If the employer knew of the history, the employer could be liable for failing to prevent the attack. The employer certainly shouldn’t blame the victim. In our last blog post, we...
Workplace violence: How to identify and prevent it
We have written extensively in this blog about sexual harassment. We have not explored, however, the fact that workplace sexual harassment cases sometimes include violence. In this blog post, we will take a close look at how the law views workplace violence. In our...
Attorney Twila White gets arbitration award overturned on ethics grounds
In employment disputes, arbitration is increasingly common, especially since the U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in Epic Systems Corp v. Lewis that employment contracts can lawfully include mandatory arbitration clauses. Unfortunately, these clauses are usually the...
Video: Speak up to protect your rights with the help of an attorney
If you are being mistreated in the workplace, you probably are feeling powerless and scared. You might feel as though you have no options to protect yourself, or that you will be fired or otherwise penalized for speaking out about misconduct. However, you have rights...
Do I qualify for overtime pay in California?
When you talk to someone about how work is going, chances are that either you or the other person will allude to feeling overworked. Many Americans have too much work and spend too many hours on the job. In fact, according to this report, Americans work longer hours...
What is a ‘reasonable accommodation’?
If you are disabled or pregnant, state and federal laws require that your employer allow for accommodations to help you in the workplace. However, these accommodations must be reasonable and not put any undue hardship on the employer. This might all make sense in...
Your right to meal and rest breaks: What to know
Employees in California have many rights in the workplace. One of those rights is to receive meal and rest breaks according to current guidelines. While it may only seem like a short break, it is vital to ensure you are able to rest, eat and take care of yourself...
Protecting yourself against workplace violence
Race discrimination in the workplace is complicated. Why? While some cases of racial discrimination may be easy to spot and prove, in many other cases, discrimination is hard to identify right away. It can be even tougher to prove. Race discrimination is when an...