Committed to Justice for Wronged Employees
Regardless of your status or position, if you are an employee in the State of California you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. You give over to your employer the vast majority of your time. Your are away from your family, or the other life experiences you could be enjoying. You contribute your hard work, creativity, and talents to your employer’s goals. In return, you deserve a working environment in which your legal rights are honored and protected.
One recent study estimated wage theft (a generic term for many ways in which an employee is deprived of full pay) amounts to $15 billion dollars each year in the United States. Only 395 enforcement officers are employed by the U.S. Dept. of Labor to investigate complaints of wage theft. Many states have NO wage theft enforcement agencies or personnel. Wage theft is at epidemic levels, and it amounts to stripping already under-paid, over-worked Americans of over $15 billion dollars in wages.
Do you dare complain if you experience or witness wage theft? Won’t you be fired, demoted, ‘black-balled’ from the company or industry? Even your co-workers might act against you because you are ‘stepping out of line’, or ‘making trouble for everyone.’ Retaliation for complaining (‘whistleblowing’) about wage theft is common, and you probably have experienced or witnessed it yourself.
And wage theft many times is symptomatic of discrimination. It has always been true that minorities of color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, age, and or veteran status are groups with less power to effect change, or to protect their rights. So, who better to take advantage of than the less protected and those without the financial or political power to enforce their rights.
Gender discrimination is a particularly destructive form of discrimination. A woman performing the same duties is paid less or denied opportunities for advancement because of her gender. This form of discrimination transcends all other protected classes because women exist in all protected classes. It also sends a disturbing message that women are valued less men in the workplace for no reason other than their gender. Young women who become the target of this form of discrimination sometimes struggle with self-worth issues in the workplace for the rest of their lives.
When employers violate Federal or California employment and or anti-discrimination laws, we stand up for the employees who are harmed. If you have been the victim of an employment law violation, our attorneys can help. We will respond with strong and vigorous legal action to stop the discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and to get compensation and justice for you.
We Represent In All Employment Law Matters
Our lawyers handle all employment law matters for employees throughout California. These matters frequently involve:
- Wage and hour class action
- Wrongful termination
- Hostile work environment
- Workplace discrimination
- Racial and ethnic discrimination
- Racial harassment
- Disability discrimination
- Age discrimination
- Gender discrimination
- Pregnancy discrimination
- Sexual harassment
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Whistleblower and qui tam
- Retaliation
- Severance agreement negotiations