Pasadena is located in Los Angeles County in Southern California. It’s the ninth largest city in the county. The city, which has a population of 137,122, is home to many institutions including Caltech, ArtCenter College of Design, Fuller Theological Seminary and Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine. It is also known for hosting the yearly Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade. Around 45,371 people in the city are ages 24-44, while around 37,043 are ages 45 to 64. Around 18,562 are age 65 or older. If you suspect your employer violated your rights, you should call the experienced Pasadena employment law attorneys of the Calderone Law Firm. We represent clients in wage and hour, employment discrimination, whistleblowing, and retaliation lawsuits.
Wage and Hour IssuesThe California Labor Code covers numerous wage and hour issues. These laws, including rules about minimum wage, meal and rest breaks, and overtime, apply to employees, but not independent contractors.
In Pasadena, your employer must pay you overtime if you are a nonexempt employee who works for longer-than-usual periods. The amount of overtime depends on the number of extra hours and days you worked. If you worked for more than 8 hours in a workday, for example, you should be paid time and a half for the extra hours. Similarly, if you worked more than 40 hours in a work week, you should also be paid time and a half for the extra hours. If you work over 12 hours in a single workday, however, you will be entitled to be paid double time for those extra hours. If your employer failed to pay you overtime to which you’re entitled, our lawyers may be able to hold the employer accountable for unpaid overtime, alongside liquidated damages that are equal to the overtime that wasn’t paid. Further compensation may be available for willful overtime violations.
Unfortunately, some companies commit wage theft; they misclassify workers as independent contractors even though they meet legal criteria for being considered employees in order to avoid wage and hour rules, and in some cases, to avoid paying workers’ compensation premiums and other costs associated with employment. If you suspect your employer has failed to abide by wage and hour laws to your detriment, you should call our lawyers to see whether you have a grounds to pursue damages.
Employment DiscriminationIf you are 40 or older, you are protected against workplace age discrimination in Pasadena under the Age Discrimination Employment Act (ADEA) and the Fair Employment Housing Act (FEHA). This means that your employer is not permitted to treat you adversely in an employment decision as long as you’re at least 40. Age discrimination can occur in connection with hiring, firing, training, pay, demotion, layoffs, and other important aspects of employment. For example, if you and those of your colleagues who are close to retirement age were the only employees who were laid off, you might have grounds for an age discrimination lawsuit.
Retaliation in Pasadena WorkplacesUnder federal and state laws, you should not be punished for exercising your rights in the workplace. Each of the federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by the EEOC prohibit workplace retaliation; you should not face adverse treatment on the job for filing a charge with the EEOC or testifying against your employer in a discrimination or harassment lawsuit. FEHA provides similar protection against retaliation, but for employees of smaller companies; it also protects a broader range of traits.
Our lawyers may be able to secure damages for retaliation even if we are unable to prove discrimination or harassment under the law. You may have a retaliation claim so long as you had a good faith belief you were being discriminated against at the time you complained about it, and your employer took an adverse action against you for making that complaint. Retaliation is also illegal if your employer seeks to punish you for reporting its illegal misconduct or legal violations.
Consult a Seasoned Anaheim Attorney About an Employment Law DisputeIn most cases, employers have significantly more resources and power than their employees do. If you need a trusted Pasadena employment law attorney to represent you in a dispute, call the Calderone Law Firm. Our founder, Vincent Calderone, has more than 25 years of experience fighting for workers. Please contact us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.