California Employment Law Blog

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 hours a day or 60…

California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 22 on election day after an aggressive record-setting $204 million campaign bankrolled by Uber, Lyft and other app-based companies. Nearly six in 10 voters favored the measure that allows these companies to classify drivers as independent contractors, denying them benefits, such as overtime, paid sick days and even minimum wage.…

A lawsuit filed by a former Uber driver from San Diego claims the ride-sharing company’s system to rate its drivers is racially biased. Thomas Liu was fired in October 2015 when his star rating fell below 4.6. In its app, Uber asks passengers to rate drivers on a scale of one to five. Lawsuit claims…

The California First District Court of Appeal says ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft must treat Golden State drivers as employees and provide them with the appropriate pay and benefits. The ruling affirms state court actions and legislators’ beliefs that gig workers do not have the independence necessary to be considered independent contractors. Ruling decides lawsuit,…

The California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibit employers from discriminating against anyone because of their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. While limited exceptions exist – for religious institutions and companies with fewer than five employees – the vast majority of workers and job…

The California Court of Appeals, Third District, ruled in July that a former regional president for U.S. Bank in Sacramento is entitled to receive $17 million in compensation after a jury determined he was wrongfully terminated, and that U.S. Bank National Association later defamed his reputation. The jury found that U.S. Bank falsely accused Timothy…

Three years after the #MeToo movement brought workplace sexual harassment into the spotlight, a new study shows a disturbing result – nearly three-quarters of the people reporting harassment say they were retaliated against for complaining. The National Women’s Law Center report says seven out of 10 workers, who reported being sexually harassed at work, faced…

Workers now have one year to file a discrimination or retaliation lawsuit against their employer with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1947 into law on Sept. 30. Before the measure became law, employees had six months after a violation occurred to file a complaint for…

A 34-year employee of the popular game show “Jeopardy!” is suing the show’s producers after being fired in August. Glenn Kagan, 66, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Quadra Productions Inc. claiming age discrimination. Company said the plaintiff violated COVID protocols “Jeopardy!” staffers began working remotely in…

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 labor laws as well as…