Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

While most employers are sensible enough to hire the most fitting person for the job and promote those who perform the best without considering race, gender, religion, or other personal traits, some employers fail to meet these standards.

At Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP, we represent employees who have been suffered all manner of workplace violations, ranging from wrongful termination to wage-and-hour disputes to sexual harassment and misconduct in the workplace.

Types of Employment Matters We Handle in Los Angeles

At Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, we represent employees whose rights have been violated in the workplace. We handle many types of employment-related matters, including:

• Altering time cards
• Employment discrimination
• Failure to give 60 days’ notice of a mass layoff
• Failure to pay:
  • Commissions
  • For work performed off-the-clock
  • The minimum wage
  • Overtime
  • Vacation pay

• Failure to provide adequate meal and rest breaks
• Final paycheck violations
• Hostile work environment
• Improper classification of workers as exempt from overtime
• Misclassification of employees as independent contractors
• Sexual harassment
• Wage and hour violations
• Wrongful termination

Discrimination in the workplace is prohibited by federal law under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and state law under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and the California Constitution. Employers are prohibited from discriminating against another person during hiring, training, and termination, or when determining hours, pay, or benefits.

What are the Regulations for Employee Meal and Rest Breaks in Los Angeles?

All non-exempt California employees are entitled to regular meal and rest breaks during work periods. An employee is usually considered non-exempt unless they hold an executive, administrative, or professional position. A determination of exempt or non-exempt status is based on an employee’s job duties, not their job title or payment method. Even salaried employees can be non-exempt.

State law provides the following break periods for all non-exempt employees:

• A 10-minute paid break period for every 4 hours of work. If feasible, each break period should be scheduled in the middle of the work period. The employee is not required to take the break period.
• A rest period is not required if the employee’s total daily work time is less than 3 1/2 hours.
• If a break period is not provided for the employee, the employer is penalized one hour of pay for each day a break is denied.
• Mothers with infants are entitled to a reasonable amount of break time to express breast milk. Employers must make reasonable efforts to provide the employee with a room or other location (other than a toilet stall) to pump in private. However, a private location does not have to be provided if doing so would seriously disrupt the employer’s operations.

Unfortunately, many employers deny their workers these breaks regardless of federal and state law. If you believe that your current or former employer has violated your right to meal and rest breaks, we can determine whether your employer complies with the law and help you seek redress for any wrongdoings.

Have You Experienced Sexual Harassment in a Los Angeles Workplace?

Unwelcome sexual advances and verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature is sexual harassment if the conduct affects the victim’s employment, unreasonably interferes with work performance, or creates an abusive, intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Examples of illegal sexual harassment in the workplace can include:

• Offering employment benefits in exchange for sexual favors
• Threatening termination or demotion for refusal of sexual advances
• Unwanted sexual advances
• Sexual gestures, leering or displaying pornographic pictures
• Derogatory comments, slurs and jokes
• Verbal abuse of a sexual nature
• Sexually suggestive or obscene letters, e-mails or notes
• Unwanted physical contact such as touching or impeding a person’s movements

No employee should feel unsafe or uncomfortable in their place of work. Thankfully, sexual harassment in the workplace is not tolerated under California state law. At Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP, we can help you hold sexual abusers in the workplace accountable for their actions.

Contact an Experienced Employment Law Attorney in Los Angeles, California

At Arias Sanguinetti Wang & Torrijos, LLP, we litigate on behalf of employees to help them combat their most pressing employment-related legal issues. Our practical approach strategy has allowed us to promptly and effectively resolve numerous employment matters without having to proceed with litigation.

If you are an employee whose rights may have been violated by an employer contact our skilled employment law attorneys today by calling (213) 652-7162 or completing our contact form to request a free consultation.