California has many administrative agencies that protect all employees and allows them to pursue claims against their employer when their legal rights are violated. These agencies are often referred to as “labor law boards”, even though there is no agency in California with such a name. These boards treat, manage, and investigate certain workplace disputes and complaints similarly to a court, and most complaints against employers are brought before these agencies. This post will take you through the major agencies in California that are involved in labor and employment disputes, and also offer resources on how you can file a claim with them.

IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT LABOR LAW BOARD TO FILE YOUR COMPLAINT

Although California has many agencies, there are two major agencies used for workplace disputes. They include:

• The Department of Fair Employment and Housing
• The Office of the Labor Commissioner

Each of these two labor law boards has a distinct process for filing claims or complaints, and the types of issues they handle are generally specific. To choose the right agency, employees need to correctly identify the best labor law board for their case and ensure it is within the jurisdiction of the agency for proper complaint procedure. This is the first step in bringing a claim against the employer.

THE CALIFORNIA LABOR COMMISSION AND THE CLAIM YOU CAN FILE WITH EACH

The California Labor Commissioner’s office works to enforce minimum labor standards in workplaces across the state. The Labor Commissioner and their deputies are appointed by the governor of the State of California and have a legal right to visit all companies in California to help the board investigate, resolve, hear all claims under its jurisdiction and enforce California labor laws. Perhaps most importantly, the Labor Commissioner has the power to give a ruling on disputes that involve wages and hour complaints. Some of these claims include:

• Unpaid wages
• Unpaid commissions
• Unpaid vacation wages
• Unpaid minimum wage
• Failure to be paid for agreed benefits
• Unpaid overtime
• Distribution of pay stubs
• Rest and Meal break violations
• Failure to pay wages on time after employment’s termination
• Unpaid split shift pay (this is necessary when two(2) different work periods are separated by more than an hour meal break)
• Unlawful deductions from a paycheck
• Un-reimbursed business operating costs
• Late payment or failure to pay final wages

To sum up, the office of the Labor Commissioner manages wages and penalty claims as well as other employees’ demands for compensation from their employer. Furthermore, the Labor Commissioner’s office can also hear certain types of whistleblower and retaliation/discrimination claims. However, they must involve claims that the employer took unfavorable employment action against the worker (or any job candidate) probably because they are involved in some protected conducts. The office of the Labor Commissioner can give a ruling some whistleblower claims, but not all types of whistleblower claims. The detail of this is beyond this post.

THE DEPARTMENT OF FAIR EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING AND THE CLAIMS WITHIN THEIR JURISDICTION

The department of fair employment and housing may be the best place to file a complaint if an employee feels they have been discriminated against. Discrimination usually arises when some protected people or protected class are treated differently based on certain characteristics or attributes. A few instances of discrimination may include unwanted touching, jokes that are inappropriate, unjust compensation, poor working conditions, and job assignments.

The California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) offers the most protection to employees (regardless of their numbers working in a company), and eliminates discriminatory employment practices. Under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, employers are prohibited from discriminating against or harassing employees, job applicants and certain groups of people on the basis of their color, race, sexual orientation, religion, ancestry, age (40 and above), medical condition, disability, harassment, sex (including pregnancy), marital status, genetic information, origin (including language constraints), military and veteran status. Any other issues that involve unfair treatment or treating an individual differently fall under their jurisdiction. Most times, retaliation usually follows discrimination and harassment.

WHAT IS RETALIATION ALL ABOUT

Retaliation arises when an employer or an agent acting on behalf of the employer react unfavorably or engages in unlawful behavior against an employee for filing a claim about some sort of discrimination/harassment or worker’s compensation, or for helping other employees in these complaints. Retaliation can also arise when an employer or an agent acting on behalf of the employer takes adverse actions against a worker for reporting unlawful behaviors by their employer – an act also known as whistle blowing.

Retaliation can come in many forms. For instance, if the employee files a claim and the employer or an agent acting on behalf of the employer then fires the employee because of the claim, then that would be retaliation. At times, the employee does not have to be fired to prove retaliation. Another instance is when an employee takes days off to look after an injury sustained in the workplace and the employer penalizes the employee, maybe through wage reduction. Under California law, this is prohibited. To prove retribution, an employee must show that:

1. The employer engaged in an unfavorable employment action, like firing the worker
2. They engaged in behavior that is protected under the California labor code (filed a worker’s compensation claim) and

• There was a connection between (i) and (ii) above.

The Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits employers or an agent acting on behalf of the employer from retaliating against employees on these grounds. When the Fair Employment and Housing Act is violated, employees have a right to file a complaint with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (the DFEH).

DFEH Versus DLSE

The DLSE and the DFEH work in the same way in that they both have the power to look into an employee’s claims and work with the employer to resolve any unlawful or illegal activities. However, the major difference is in the types of claims that the two agencies handle.

WHO CAN FILE A CLAIM WITH THE LABOR BOARD?

Any former or current employee or job applicants can file a claim for labor law violation, in relation to any part of the labor law as established in California by the Industrial Welfare Commission. The Labor law board will not query your immigration status nor report it to other government agencies. There is also no need for a social security number or photo identification to file a report for labor law violation. If your complaint is selected for investigation, your report will be kept confidential to the maximum extent possible under the law.

WHEN TO FILE A CLAIM WITH THE LABOR BOARD

The California labor law board maintains a listing of California laws that prohibits the denial of employee’s legal rights. If you have any issues affecting your working conditions in California, or you are discriminated against and harassed or you are seeking to get your legal unpaid wages, you have the right to file a claim with the appropriate California labor law board in a timely manner. Depending on the instances, reports must be by the statutory deadline. Talk to an attorney as to when that is. If your complaint is about:

• an oral agreement, you have a deadline to file by statute to file a complaint from the violation date.
• law or regulation in place (such as a minimum wage or overtime violation), you have a statutory deadline from the date of the violation to file a complaint.
• a written agreement, you a statutory deadline from the date of the violation to file a claim

The Labor law board prioritizes and investigates wage theft and other labor law violations. If the deadline is missed, you may be able to file a private lawsuit instead of filing a complaint. You should consult with an employment attorney for more details.

HOW TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE LABOR LAW BOARD

After correctly identifying the type of claim and the best administrative agency that can hear the case, the employee can go ahead with preparing their complaint. The employee must:

• Determine the laws that the employer violated
• Collect any information that shows the employer took action against them because they exercised their labor rights.
• File any change in their employment conditions after they have exercised their rights, such as demotion or pay reductions.
• Collect documents to evaluate their employment conditions before that moment, such as timesheets, pay stubs, personnel commendations, notes, or evaluations, or other r
• ecords.

Reporting A Claim

To report a claim, the employee can either take or mail the complaint form to the Labor law board that handles the particular claim for the employee’s city or location where the employee performed the work that led to the complaint. Whichever way, the employee should make sure to complete the following steps:

• Download and print out the claim or complaint form.
• Complete the form in its entirety and ensure you provide all information requested to the best of your knowledge to avoid delays in processing, then sign and date the form.
• Attach copies of any supporting documents to your complaints. Do not send the original copies.
• Mail the completed complaint form and the supporting documents to the Labor law board
• If you are filing a workplace health and safety complaint, you may have additional protections.

It is advisable that the employee consult an employment attorney before filing their complaints just to ensure all their facts are correct, the claim is feasible and timely, and that the justice system is respected.

DETERMINATIONS

The California labor board will conduct a thorough investigation after you file your claim. And if the determination finds your employer guilty of any labor law violations, the board will send you a written determination by mail and require your employer to comply with it within 30 days. Otherwise, the Labor law Board will file a lawsuit against your employer to enforce the demand for relief. The relief may include:

• Reinstatement to your former job position
• Interest payment on the back pay
• Payment of any wages lost for wrong suspension, demotion or employment termination
• Payment of penalties for each violation
• Removal of any reference to the negative action in your employee file
• Cease to violate your labor rights in the future

WERE YOU SERVED A NOTICE FROM THE CALIFORNIA LABOR LAW BOARDS?

If you receive any complaint through the labor law boards, you need to know your rights before an employee sues. Most business owners or employers often neglect labor laws or potential risks to their business until a lawsuit shows up. Employees that might have seemed satisfied may sometimes feel cheated and want to claim what they think they deserve. Therefore, they might sue their employer to see what they can get. The fact remains that employees have little  to lose for doing so, due to the way the system is set up. That is why an employer needs to have a clear understanding of their rights when they get a complaint from the labor law boards. Dealing with the labor law boards is hard and the entire process can be intimidating. Many variables and possibilities can make it difficult to get a good strategy for your case, but we can help you out.

CONTACT UNITED EMPLOYEES LAW GROUP FOR A FREE CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTATION

Whether you are an employee who thinks your legal rights have been violated or an employer who has received a complaint from the labor law board, the experienced team of employment attorneys at United Employees Law Group will aggressively and compassionately listen and protect your interests. We understand your request is unique and we will work to give you the best shot at a favorable outcome. Even if you do not end up hiring us, you will still have good knowledge of the next step you can take. Kindly fill the form below to schedule your free confidential consultation.

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