San Luis Obispo County

San Luis Obispo County is located on the central coast of California. The area has been rapidly growing. As of the 2020 census, its population was 47,063. There are roughly 19,193 households, out of which more than 15% have children under the age of 18 living in them. Major employers include the county itself, California Polytechnic State University, PG&E, the Department of State Hospitals-Atascadero, Tenet Healthcare, California Men’s Colony, Compass Health, Dignity Health, and public school districts. Whether you disagree with your employer about minimum wage and overtime, or you’ve been terminated due to discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, call the trustworthy San Luis Obispo County employment lawyers of Calderone Law Firm for a consultation. Vincent Calderone, our principal, may be able to put his many years of experience to work in representing you.

Federal, state, and local laws forbid employment discrimination. In most cases, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides employees with the greatest amount of protection against discriminatory conduct, which can include any kind of adverse decision based on a trait protected under the law. FEHA applies to workplaces that have at least 5 employees. You could pursue compensation under FEHA, if you were fired because you are Black and your new manager doesn’t believe Black people are competent, for example. Similarly, if you were harassed and passed over for training opportunities because you are a woman, you may have a claim.

Unlike gig workers and salaried professionals, nonexempt employees receive protections related to compensation under the state’s wage and hour laws. As a nonexempt employee, you should be paid at least minimum wage for all the hours you work; in California this is $16 per hour. Specific cities can increase the minimum wage, but they cannot authorize employers to pay less than minimum wage. Wage and hour issues can give rise to relatively small damages awards; in many instances, the losses at issue are too low to warrant pursuing compensation through the expensive litigation process. However, in those cases, when a number of employees have similar wage and hour disputes with an employer, it may be appropriate for them to band together to pursue compensation in a class action lawsuit. These lawsuits can be demanding, and it is important to choose a plaintiff’s class action attorney. Our firm has represented plaintiffs in these matters and understands how to combat the tactics commonly used by defense attorneys.

Whistleblowers take a big risk in reporting their employers to the authorities. If you are thinking about reporting your employer’s malfeasance or illegal conduct and worry that your employer will try to punish you for making the report, it’s important to be aware that you are protected against retaliation under federal and state laws. You are protected even if you were wrong that the conduct at issue constituted misconduct or a legal violation, if you reasonably believed it did when you made the report. Your employer cannot take retaliatory action such as unfairly writing you up, failing to promote you because of your whistleblowing, threatening to report your immigration status to ICE, demoting you, denying you training that you need or refusing you access to resources needed to do your job.

Your employment in San Luis Obispo County may be crucial to you or your family’s survival. When you have a dispute with your employer that involves discrimination, harassment, retaliation, labor law violations, or whistleblower retaliation, you should take the prudent step of consulting a seasoned lawyer. Call the San Luis Obispo County lawyers of Calderone Law Firm to see whether you have legal options for relief. We are strong advocates for workers in need of sharp strategies and representation to obtain the best possible legal outcome to their case. For a free initial consultation, please complete our online form or call us at (424) 348-8290.