California employees who work extra hours may be entitled to overtime pay. An eligible employee may be entitled to one and one-half or double their income when they work overtime. Certain employees who work more than 8 hours in a workday or 40 hours in a workweek or...
Legally reducing an employee’s pay
Employers do have the right to reduce an employee's pay in some situations. Employees often feel that their pay should stay constant or that they should be offered a raise, but there are situations in which a business owner may want to make a reduction. It could be a...
Is your employer guilty of wage theft?
You go to work every day with the expectation that your employer will pay you for the hours you give to the company. Unfortunately, wage theft is more common than you realize. You may not realize that your employer is violating wage and hour laws, costing you...
Does holiday pay or sick leave count toward overtime?
Generally speaking, sick leave and holiday pay do not count toward overtime pay. This means that a person could technically be paid for more than 40 hours in a week without qualifying for overtime. For example, say that a person was sick on Monday and took paid time...
Can workers file wage lawsuits over unpaid bonuses?
Wage theft is a relatively common phenomenon. Employers sometimes manipulate payroll records or lie to their workers about their rights to pay them less than they deserve. Although many wage theft lawsuits begin with a refusal to provide minimum wage or overtime pay,...
Can employers round down time worked to avoid overtime pay?
Employees who work long shifts, whole weeks without days off or more than 40 hours per week may have a right to overtime pay. Federal overtime rules and California's unique pay regulations determine what obligations employers have to hourly and non-exempt salaried...
Do companies need to pay workers to be on-call or on standby?
Workers paid on an hourly basis in California benefit from numerous rights and legal protections. They generally have the right to receive pay for all time worked. That is a higher standard imposed than the rule at the federal level, which allows for minimal...
What should employees know about sick leave in California?
California workers have rights that aren’t present under federal law or in other states. One of these is that employees can accrue paid sick leave. All employees are due five days or 40 hours of sick leave at a minimum each year. It applies to almost all workers,...
Are salaried workers entitled to overtime?
Many people think that salaried employees do not qualify for overtime. In California, this is not always true. Whether overtime applies depends on several factors, including job duties and salary amount. What defines an exempt employee In California, exempt employees...
How do overtime rules differ between California and federal law?
Understanding overtime laws is critical for employers, especially when operating in multiple jurisdictions. Federal laws set the baseline for overtime pay, but California imposes stricter requirements to protect workers. Employers must comply with both federal and...
