Los Angeles Wage and Hour Lawyer

Los Angeles Wage and Hour Attorney

Loyal, hardworking California workers should not be victimized by unpaid overtime, stolen wages or poor accounting by the businesses that employ them. A Los Angeles wage and hour lawyer can help you recoup lost wages and more.

Are you an employee who is struggling to overcome the setbacks of unpaid overtime and working “off the clock” in Greater Los Angeles or elsewhere in California? Are you a salesperson who has been denied the sales commissions you are owed? Has your employer refused to reimburse you for work-related expenses?

If so, you may be able to claim compensation. At the Law Offices of Reisner & King LLP, we vigorously represent employees who have not received the wages, overtime pay and other compensation they are owed. Our firm-wide knowledge, skills, client commitment and personal service have made positive differences in the lives of employees whose rights were being violated in the workplace.

We want to help you obtain all of the compensation you are entitled to receive. Call us today at 818-981-0901 for a free consultation with an experienced wage and hour claims lawyer.

Your Rights Under The Law

Federal and California employment laws provide many protections for employees when it comes to wage and overtime claims:

Overtime — In California, employees classified as “nonexempt” are entitled to 1.5 times the hourly rate of pay for hours worked in excess of 40 hours per week. You may also be eligible for overtime pay for hours worked in excess of eight hours per day.

Misclassification of employees and contractors — Some employers try to minimize their labor costs by classifying employees as “exempt.” Others treat workers as contractors when they actually meet the definition of “nonexempt” employees.

Meals and rest breaks — Employers that require employees to work through meal and rest breaks or refuse to pay employees for preparation or cleanup time may be held liable for wages for those hours.

Seeking Full Compensation For Employees

If your employer has failed to pay the wages and compensation you deserve, our law firm can represent you, seeking full compensation, unpaid benefits and, in some cases, additional damages.

Our founding partners, Adam Reisner and Tessa King, can provide the sound guidance you need when money you are owed winds up missing from your paycheck or the overtime pay you should be entitled to is not forthcoming. Mr. Reisner, Ms. King and their employment law associates bring many decades of combined experience to the job of safeguarding your interests.

Examples of Wage and Hour Violations

California’s wage and hour laws are designed to protect the rights of workers to be fairly compensated for their labor. Unpaid overtime, failure to provide breaks, and misclassification of employees are three common wage and hour violations our law firm can help you with.

• Unpaid overtime. Nonexempt salaried workers must be paid for the time they put in beyond the normal 40 hours per week. This includes any time worked beyond eight hours each workday. If workers are not compensated at one-and-a-half times the normal rate of pay for overtime, they can consult a wage and hour attorney to see what legal remedies are available.
• Failure to provide rest and meal breaks. State law mandates that employees receive a 30-minute meal break after five hours of work and a 10-minute rest break for every four hours worked. Not providing these breaks or not compensating employees for missed breaks can be considered a violation. Document these labor law violations and consider seeking legal counsel if you are the victim of repeated rest break violations.
• Employee misclassification. Employers sometimes misclassify employees, calling them independent contractors or they classify them as being exempt from overtime pay when they should be classified as non-exempt hourly employees.Businesses often do this so they don’t have to offer benefits to these employees. Any employer who engages in these unlawful misclassifications can face fines and be required to pay back taxes and other benefits owed to salaried employees.
• Wage theft. Wage theft is the general term used to describe situations where an employer does not pay a worker for off-the-clock work. Wage theft also occurs when an employer makes unauthorized deductions from employees’ paychecks. Workers who had their earnings unlawfully withheld can seek the services of a wage and hour lawyer.

No matter what type of wage and hour violation you experienced, you can trust our law firm to fight to see that you are fully compensated for your lost wages. Your employer can be fined for their misconduct, and you may be eligible for compensation for unpaid wages, overtime, statutory penalties, legal fees, and any other damages resulting from the violation.

How Our Law Firm Can Find Compensation for Your Lost Wages

Having legal representation can make a huge difference if you are seeking compensation for lost wages and violations of your rights as a worker in California. Your employer may not take your complaint seriously if you do not have legal representation, and the process of filing an administrative action can be complicated if you have never completed the process before.

By working with our law firm, you can relieve yourself of the burden of having to handle every step of the complaint process by yourself. We can contact your employer to seek a resolution to the matter without the need to involve a government agency.

If those talks do not deliver a satisfactory outcome, we can file a complaint with the appropriate government agency, which will then investigate the matter based on your testimony and the evidence that we submit.

Although the process of filing an administrative complaint can take months or longer, taking formal actions can often lead to a favorable settlement. If that process does not yield the compensation you are due, there may be the option of taking the case to civil court.

Understanding Your Compensation Options

Because there are so many types of workers’ rights that can be violated under state law, a successful settlement can compensate you for a range of issues, including unpaid wages, overtime, and meal and rest break violations, among others.

In some cases, you may be compensated for the full amount of wages that you are owed. A settlement could include a lump payment that pays you restitution for lost wages, future wages (if you were wrongfully terminated), or overtime premiums. Your employer may face statutory penalties for missed rest breaks. Legal fees and interest on unpaid wages may even be included, depending on the specifics of your case.

FAQs

Q: What Is the Law for Salary Hours in California?

A: Workers in California have basic protections that ensure they are paid the state’s minimum wage, compensated for overtime, and afforded adequate rest breaks over the course of a day’s worth of work. Any employee who violates one or more of these protections could be fined and forced to pay compensation to the workers whose rights were violated.

Q: What Is the 72-Hour Rule in California?

A: Employers are required to provide a final paycheck to an employee who resigns within 72 hours. On the employee side, if they quit without notice, the employer has 72 hours from the moment of resignation to cut the final paycheck. This rule ensures that workers receive their wages within a fair timeframe. These requirements are protected under the state’s labor laws.

Q: What Is the Statute of Limitations for Wage and Hour Laws in California?

A: There are filing deadlines for anyone seeking compensation for wage and hour violations. The statute of limitations for these types of violations is three years in most cases. This applies to claims such as unpaid wages, overtime, and meal and rest breaks. However, some specific claims, like those involving breaches of written contracts, could have a four-year filing deadline.

Q: What Is the Seven-Minute Rule for Payroll in California?

A: The seven-minute rule in California refers to the rounding rule that employers can use when calculating employee work hours. When dealing with 15-minute increments, an employer can round the 15-minute increment when an employee works between one and seven minutes past the last quarter-hour down. If the employee works between eight and 14 minutes, the time can be rounded up to the next quarter-four.