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If an employer denies legally earned wages-intentionally or through illegal policies and practices-workers may be victims of overtime wage theft & unlawful pay practices. Our El Segundo overtime wage theft lawyers represent employees across the region, holding employers accountable and pursuing full compensation through negotiation or litigation.
Overtime wage theft & unlawful pay occurs when employers fail to provide workers with the full compensation guaranteed by California wage and hour rules. Under state and federal employment law, employers must pay one-and-a-half times the employee’s regular rate of compensation for hours worked beyond eight in a day or 40 in a week. Work exceeding 12 hours in a day must be compensated at double time.
Despite clear legal standards, many El Segundo businesses still fail to comply. Workers regularly report:
These issues are far more common than most employees realize. A knowledgeable employment attorney can examine your records, explain your employment rights, and help determine whether your claim qualifies for a wage-recovery case.
Wage theft happens when an employer refuses to pay workers the wages the law requires. This can involve:
El Segundo employers who engage in these practices violate multiple California labor codes and may face substantial penalties under state and federal employment law. Common wage theft tactics include:
If you’ve encountered any of these issues, you may have grounds for a strong wage theft claim. Our experienced attorneys can investigate, gather evidence, and pursue litigation if necessary.
Under California labor codes, employers must pay workers at least the state’s minimum wage for every hour worked-along with all overtime wages owed under overtime laws. Employers also must maintain accurate payroll records and provide workers with lawful wage statements each pay period.
When employers ignore these rules, they not only violate employment law, but also expose themselves to penalties, interest, and potential class-action litigation.
Workers frequently lose earnings due to:
These violations may entitle employees to wage restitution, penalty pay, and in some cases, reimbursement of legal fees. Our firm works tirelessly to ensure workers obtain the compensation they deserve.
Some El Segundo employers use subtle or systematic tactics to avoid wage obligations. Common schemes include:
These are serious law violations and often affect groups of employees across multiple departments or even across multiple locations. When this happens, a wage theft case may evolve into collective litigation or a class action.
Every worker deserves to be paid for every hour worked. Our attorneys can help you file a claim, recover unpaid wages, and pursue damages for all wage violations under California law.
Wage theft prevention is central to California’s enforcement efforts. Under statewide regulations, employers must:
When employers fail to follow these rules, workers may file a claim, seek penalties, or pursue litigation against the employer. Our legal team at Matern Law Group represents workers in both individual and class-action cases.
El Segundo commissions are earnings based on a percentage of the price of goods or services an employee sells. A written commission agreement determines when the commissions are considered earned. Once the commissions are earned, California’s regular payday laws apply. This means you must be paid at least twice a month, including any commissions that you’ve earned.
Learn More about El Segundo Commission Pay >>
California enforces strong equal pay protections through the El Segundo Equal Pay Act. This law guarantees that employees performing “substantially similar work” are compensated equally, regardless of their gender, race, or ethnicity. “Substantially similar work” considers factors like skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions.
Exceptions to this principle exist only for legitimate, job-related reasons documented by the employer. These reasons might include factors like seniority, qualifications, a merit-based pay system, or a system based on a bona fide factor other than protected characteristics (like gender, race, ethnicity).
Learn More about El Segundo Equal Pay >>
California is a national leader in combating El Segundo gender pay gaps, thanks to its strong equal pay laws. These laws empower employees and promote fairness in the workplace.
One key element is the California Fair Pay Act. This law ensures that men and women are paid equally for “substantially similar work.” This means the jobs require similar skill, effort, responsibility, and are performed under similar working conditions. Simply put, if you’re doing the same job as a colleague of a different gender, you deserve the same pay.
But California goes beyond just equal pay. Recognizing the importance of transparency, the state also mandates salary range disclosure for certain El Segundo employers. If a company with 100 or more employees has a job opening, they are required to provide a pay range to applicants upon request. This allows both men and women to enter salary negotiations with a better understanding of the fair market value for the position. This transparency is a powerful tool in closing the gender pay gap.
Learn More about El Segundo Gender Pay Gaps >>
Employers sometimes improperly classify their employees as “managers” or as “independent contractors” to prevent those employees from receiving meal and rest breaks or overtime. An employee who is classified as a “manager” but required to do non-managerial tasks may be entitled to unpaid overtime as well as compensation for meal and rest period violations. Similarly, an employee who is improperly classified as an independent contractor but treated like an employee may be entitled to compensation.
Learn More about El Segundo Misclassification >>
Work that is “off the clock” is any work performed for a El Segundo employer that is not compensated at either the regular or overtime rate. “Off-the-clock” work varies by employer and even industry. Essentially, all job-related activities that benefit the employer should be part of the employee’s paid time.
Learn More about El Segundo Off-the-Clock Work >>
California’s labor codes also guarantee nonexempt employees the right to uninterrupted meal and rest breaks. When breaks are denied, cut short, or discouraged, workers must receive one additional hour of premium pay.
Common violations include:
Each violation strengthens your claim and increases your potential compensation.
In California, the law guarantees El Segundo employees overtime pay at a rate of one and a half times their hourly rate if they work more than 40 in a given week or over 8 hours on any given day. An employee is entitled to double their regular rate of pay where they work over 12 hours on any given day. Employees are also entitled to uninterrupted meals and rest breaks during their workday.
Learn More about El Segundo Overtime Pay >>
“Tip pooling” is the practice of gathering some or all of the tips earned by several employees, and then splitting them up in previously-agreed percentages. In California, employer-mandated tip pooling is generally considered legal, as long as certain conditions are met in the realms of firing, promotions, and job assignments.
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California safeguards El Segundo employee rights with robust wage recovery measures. If you haven’t been paid what you’re owed, California law empowers you to fight for what’s due.
California law grants you the legal right to recover all unpaid El Segundo wages, including compensation for overtime hours worked, minimum wage violations, or any other accrued and compensable pay you’ve earned. In addition to recouping the unpaid wages themselves, California law may also entitle you to liquidated damages. These liquidated damages are essentially financial penalties imposed on employers to compensate for the harm caused by the wage theft. The amount of liquidated damages can be equal to the amount of unpaid wages owed to you.
Furthermore, if your El Segundo employer fails to provide your final paycheck on time (after termination or layoff), California law mandates they pay you a waiting time penalty for each day they are late. This penalty can accrue daily until your final paycheck is issued.
California provides two main options to recover unpaid El Segundo wages, penalties, and interest: filing a wage claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) or pursuing legal action in court. The DLSE offers a free and relatively streamlined process, while a lawsuit allows you to potentially recover more compensation but involves a more complex legal process.
Learn More about El Segundo Unpaid Wages >>
An employee who is terminated or laid off must be paid all of his or her earned and unpaid wages, including unused vacation or other paid time off, at the time of termination.
Learn More about El Segundo Vacation Pay >>
California safeguards El Segundo employee rights with robust wage recovery measures. If you haven’t been paid what you’re owed, California law empowers you to fight for what’s due.
California law grants you the legal right to recover all unpaid El Segundo wages, including compensation for overtime hours worked, minimum wage violations, or any other accrued and compensable pay you’ve earned. In addition to recouping the unpaid wages themselves, California law may also entitle you to liquidated damages. These liquidated damages are essentially financial penalties imposed on employers to compensate for the harm caused by the wage theft.
The amount of liquidated damages can be equal to the amount of unpaid wages owed to you. Furthermore, if your El Segundo employer fails to provide your final paycheck on time (after termination or layoff), California law mandates they pay you a waiting time penalty for each day they are late. This penalty can accrue daily until your final paycheck is issued.
California provides two main options to recover unpaid wages, penalties, and interest: filing a wage claim with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) or pursuing legal action in court. The DLSE offers a free and relatively streamlined process, while a lawsuit allows you to potentially recover more compensation but involves a more complex legal process.
Learn More about El Segundo Wage Gaps >>
Recovering unpaid wages often requires strategic legal action. Through well-prepared litigation, employees may secure:
Our attorneys work closely with investigators and experts to construct timelines, analyze pay records, and identify inconsistencies. When employers attempt to hide unpaid overtime or ignore wage demands, a powerful employment attorney can compel compliance.
Every employee deserves fair pay. When employers refuse to follow California overtime standards, violate employment law, or deny break-related compensation, legal action may be necessary.
Our El Segundo overtime wage theft lawyers stand with workers who have been denied lawful wages. We pursue wage theft claims, enforce wage theft prevention measures, and fight for full financial compensation.
If you believe your employer is violating wage or overtime requirements, contact our attorneys today for a confidential consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your rights, and help you pursue the justice you’re owed under California law.
Our Practices are Guided by Integrity. We’ll protect what you deserve.
We work tirelessly and fight tenaciously to hold rights abusers accountable.
If you’ve experienced a distressing incident related to an issue like this, call us for a free case evaluation.
Legal cases can be lengthy, complicated, and confusing. We understand how difficult it is for an individual to navigate the California courts and legal system to redress violations faced at work. That’s why our experienced El Segundo overtime, wage theft, and unlawful pay lawyers will be your partners so you don’t have to take on the system all by yourself. We take the time to understand your predicament, do the legwork to investigate your employer, gather all the necessary information, and advocate for you tirelessly.
If you believe someone has violated your individual rights or the rights of a group of people in your community, we can help you find the right course of action. Our team of El Segundo overtime, wage theft, and unlawful pay lawyers will help you understand your rights and take action. At Matern Law Group, we believe in neighbors helping neighbors. Let us put our legal knowledge and experience to work on your behalf.
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