When an employer exploits your work or violates the terms of your employment contract, you may feel angry and frustrated. Civil litigation attorneys in California are available to help you understand your rights and protect them using the legal system.
Employment law is designed to protect the contract between employees and employers, ensuring that both uphold their end of the bargain.
What Does an Unfair Workplace Look Like?
Employers who violate labor laws can create an overall unfair working environment and they can do this by creating an unsafe, discriminatory workplace.
Wage disputes are also common in the workplace—if a company refuses to issue overtime pay, for example, or if they don’t update their pay to meet minimum wage.
Here are some of the examples of an unfair workplace and yours might have some or even all of these features.
Unsafe Workplace
Safety hazards can affect the health of employees through injuries or constant exposure.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates workplace safety and has strict laws about things like signage, railings, storage of harmful chemicals, and more.
Employment Discrimination
Employment discrimination means treating employees or job applicants differently and less favorably based on factors like their race, color, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. It can take the form of not hiring someone because of their medical needs, denying a promotion based on race, or demoting someone because of a pregnancy.
Harassment also falls under the category of discrimination. A hostile workplace affects worker productivity and is against federal law, and the Civil Rights Act is meant to eliminate this kind of discrimination.
Wage Disputes
Wage disputes are one of the most common concerns legal experts see. The Fair Labor Standards Act established a federal minimum wage. However, states have their own wage requirements that employers must meet.
Overtime pay is another common source of conflict. If a worker’s hours exceed 40 in a week or eight hours in a day, their employer is required to pay time and a half compared to their usual wages. Some employers neglect to adjust the pay rate.
What Does an Employment and Labor Lawyer Do?
Broadly speaking, California employment attorneys protect employee rights and help them understand what they are legally entitled to.
This takes many forms, but it often involves providing legal representation for employees in court.
1. Informing Employees of Their Rights
For some lawyers, the first step is informing their clients of their legal rights per federal and state laws. This is because not all employees are aware of the law concerning minimum wage and hour division.
2. Filing Complaints
In most cases, filing a complaint is the first step to taking legal action. Then, you must wait a certain amount of time before taking any additional legal action.
Your attorney can handle the paperwork and the technical aspects.
3. Litigation
Employment lawyers can help you with formal litigation by filing a lawsuit. However, not all lawsuits go to court, and in fact, your lawyer may try to reach a settlement instead of pursuing the expensive, time-consuming process of a court trial.
Together, you can settle on the legal strategy that best suits you.
LibertyBell Law Group has Experienced California Employment Attorneys for Your Needs
If you plan to challenge your employer’s unfair treatment, it’s a good idea to find an experienced attorney to take on your case.
At LibertyBell Law Group, we have spent years perfecting our legal approach. We’re known throughout the Los Angeles area for our passionate defense of clients and our ability to negotiate the best outcomes, whether you want to aim for a settlement or take your case to court.
To schedule a free consultation with our legal experts and learn more about your legal options, contact us at 866-320-4854 at LibertyBell Law Group today!
