Fresno

Fresno is the fifth most populous city in the state, covering around 115 square miles in San Joaquin Valley of California. As of 2010, it had a population of 494,665; it is home to many ethnic minorities. Larger employers there include the school districts, the County, Amazon, the City, Internal Revenue Service, Foster Farms, Valley Children’s Hospital, and Saint Agnes Medical Center. Our trustworthy Fresno employment lawyers represent workers in wage and hour, employment discrimination, and whistleblowing litigation. Our principal, Vincent Calderone, has decades of experience seeking justice for workers who have been harmed by their employers.

At the Calderone Law Firm, we represent workers who need to bring wage and hour lawsuits. Wage and hour laws cover nonexempt employees with regard to minimum wage, overtime, uniforms, expenses, and meal and rest breaks. Unfortunately, some workers misclassify employees as exempt or independent contractors to avoid abiding by wage and hour laws, and other legal constraints on the employment relationship. However, our attorneys can look closely at your situation to figure out whether you’ve been misclassified and what protections are available to you. While individual overtime lawsuits, for instance, may involve small monetary losses, it may be appropriate for nonexempt employees to band together to bring a class action lawsuit in which the damages award may be larger.

Federal, state, and Fresno laws prohibit employment discrimination based on protected traits or characteristics. Federal anti-discrimination laws tend to apply only to midsize or large employers and protect fewer traits than the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) or the Fresno anti-discrimination law.

Characteristics protected under FEHA include when it’s based on certain protected characteristics or traits. Protected classes in California include:

• Race,
• Color
• National origin
• Ancestry
• Religion
• Physical disability
• Mental disability
• Medical condition
• Genetic information
• Gender
• Gender expression
• Gender identity
• Marital status
• Gender
• Sexual orientation
• Age discrimination against those 40 or older
• Military and veteran status.

Fresno also has a local anti-discrimination law that recently added two additional protected characteristics: caste and indigeneity.

Under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), employers of at least 5 employees are required to provide eligible employees with job-protected leave to care for certain family members with serious health conditions, as well as for the employees’ own serious health condition. Additionally eligible employees can take job-protected leave to bond with a new child.

Generally, workplace discrimination happens whenever an employee is treated adversely due to his or her protected trait. It is actionable discrimination, for example, if your new boss terminates you because of your race. Similarly, it would be discrimination if your employer decided to create a segregated workplace in which you have to sit separately and are given different assignments because you are Muslim or Middle Eastern.

Sexual harassment is illegal in California even if your employer has one employee (you).

Whistleblowers are employees who report their employer when they find out the employer has perpetrated fraud or committed another legal violence. Under the California False Claims Act, whistleblower plaintiffs are permitted to sue in the name of the state of California if a wrongdoer has engaged in actions that defraud the state or local governments of taxpayer dollars. The law is intended to address a wide range of wrongful and deceitful conduct.

As an employee, you may feel disadvantaged when going up against your employer in court. Most employers have significantly more resources, and it is normal to fear their retaliation, even though retaliation is prohibited under many of the workplace laws that protect you. It is important to call the effective lawyers of Calderone Law Firm as soon as possible after you realize that you need relief through the justice system. Our seasoned Fresno employment attorneys have many years of experience handling workplace litigation and can use that knowledge to seek the best available outcome in your case. Complete our online form or call us at (424) 348-8290 for a free initial consultation.