Understanding California Employment Law: Your Comprehensive Guide
California employment laws have distinct territories of applications and propositions. Both the employees and employers must have clear knowledge of the existing labor laws. If you are an employee of California, you should know about your established rights of a fair wage, a safe work environment, pay and benefits, leave of absence, whistleblower protection, and so on. This article will shed light on the overview of California’s employment laws to help you understand your labor rights.
Everything you need to know about the grounds of California Employment Laws
Wage and hour laws
Minimum Wage
According to CA Labor Code 1182.12, California’s present minimum wage is $15.50. This law applies to both part-time and full-time nonexempt employees of all industries.
Overtime
The employees in California are entitled to get overtime pay for work done over eight hours in a day or 40 hours in a week. For non-exempt employees, the overtime pay rate is one and a half times of regular pay rate.
California employment law lunch breaks
When you are working for consecutive four hours, your employer is entitled to grant you a paid 10-minute rest break. Moreover, when you are working for five consecutive hours, you have the right to enjoy a 30-minute meal period for that shift.
Discrimination-free workplace laws
California labor laws strictly prohibit all kinds of discrimination in the workplace. Such discriminatory manners include unfair treatment based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, age (over 40), pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) safeguards the rights of California employees under these protected classes. If you feel that your employee rights are being violated, you are free to consult an employment attorney to take legal action. Then you may sue your employer in court for failing to comply with state laws.
Leave laws
Paid family leave
California employment laws grant employees a paid eight weeks of leave in 12 months. The eligibility for this leave depends on the situations like caring for seriously ill family members, bonding with a newborn child, or participating in a covered active duty. The employees will get partial wages while they are on this leave.
Whistleblower protection laws
California employment laws also protect the rights of employees to report any illegal activities going on in the workplace. The employers may not impose any policies to prohibit the employees from being a whistleblower. Your employer can not also retaliate against you for refusing to break any laws and taking a stand against illegal activity.
Final Words
Hopefully, this overview of California employment laws will help you acknowledge your rights and practice them. If you face that your boundaries are being overstepped, you should make practical use of your employee rights. You should immediately talk to an employment attorney and discuss your issue. The attorney will guide you to stand up for your rights and seek legal remedies with the best approach.
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