Santa Clarita Employment Lawyer

Santa Clarita Employment Attorney

As a Santa Clarita employee, you have certain rights under both state and federal law. Employers must respect employee rights, and it is crucial that you know your rights and how to protect them. If your employer is violating your rights, a Santa Clarita employment lawyer can help you act. You may be facing discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The right employment attorney can help you take important steps to protect yourself.

A Knowledgeable Employment Firm Serving Santa Clarita

Hennig Kramer LLP provides skilled and respectful legal support. We help hold employers liable for their labor law violations. Our firm has worked for more than 20 years to protect the rights and dignity of California employees. If you need a firm to help you address retaliation, discrimination, wage and hour violations, harassment, and other issues, our team can investigate and help you build a strong claim.

Our firm is compassionate and responsive, and we make sure we understand the details of your claim. We work to quickly resolve these complex cases to your benefit but are unafraid to take the case to court if necessary to protect your rights. Our team knows the complexities of employment law and the additional regulations in many fields of employment. If you are subjected to an unsafe or unfair work environment, Hennig Kramer LLP can help you get the justice you deserve.

Employee Rights and Common Employment Violations

Understanding your employee rights and potential violations of those rights is crucial to ensuring you are treated fairly in the workplace. Employment cases in Santa Clarita, California, may revolve around:

• Wage and Hour Laws

Regulations require employees to be paid on time and accurately for the work they complete. This includes being paid the minimum wage and being paid properly for overtime work. Employees are also entitled to certain rest and meal breaks. Violations of these rights can form the basis for a claim.

These rights are afforded to certain employees, typically those who are hourly non-exempt, but not all. Another type of wage and hour violation occurs when an employer classifies you as an employee who is exempt from certain benefits, but you are not actually exempt. These are also potential grounds for a claim.

• Discrimination and Harassment

Discrimination and harassment are employment actions or treatment based on protected characteristics. Protected characteristics may include an employee’s race, religion, disability, sex or gender, sexual orientation, age, medical condition, ancestry, and marital status. If an employer discriminates against you because of a protected characteristic, you could have grounds for a claim.

Harassment also includes sexual harassment, such as quid pro quo harassment or a hostile workplace. Quid pro quo harassment happens when an employer, manager, or other individual with power requests sexual favors in exchange for work benefits like better schedules, increased pay, promotions, etc. A hostile workplace occurs when coworkers engage in repeated or severe harassing behaviors that would impact the work environment for a reasonable person. If your employer is the aggressor or has failed to take steps to prevent a known instance of sexual harassment, you can hold them liable. Hennig Kramer LLP can help.

• Wrongful Termination

Wrongful (unlawful) termination occurs when an employer fires an employee for an illegal reason. Both employees and employers have the right to end their professional working relationship at any time under at-will employment. Employers, however, cannot terminate employees for illegal reasons in violation of public policy. This can make wrongful termination cases more complex, as it can sometimes be hard to prove that the termination was based on an illegal reason.

Employers cannot fire you for taking a protected action, such as whistleblowing about unsafe working conditions or wage and hour violations, or for making a complaint about discrimination or harassment in the workplace. An employer also cannot fire you based on a discriminatory reason. If these reasons are the basis of your termination, you could have grounds for a claim against your employer.

• Retaliation

In addition to wrongful (unlawful) termination, it is also illegal for an employer to take other adverse employment actions against an employee for illegal reasons. This could include a demotion, lowered pay or benefits, or reassignment to unpleasant job duties. If these actions are in response to a protected action or because of a person’s protected characteristic, there could be a basis for a claim.

FAQs:

Q: How Do I Get Advice About California Labor Law?

A: You can get advice about California labor laws by hiring a Santa Clarita employment attorney. If you are facing harassment or discrimination or have other concerns about your employee rights, a skilled employment lawyer can provide you with advice and determine the legal steps to address your concerns. If your employer is violating your employee rights, either directly or by failing to address the actions of other employees, you deserve to take action.

Q: What Are My Rights as a California Employee?

A: California employees have numerous rights and legal protections, including the right to:

• Receive full and fair pay for all work that is completed
• A safe work environment with protections against hazards and injury
• A safe work environment free of harassment or discrimination
• Medical and family leave
• Rest and meal breaks
• Protection from retaliation by an employer for taking protected actions

Employee rights are protected on both the state and federal levels.

Q: Can I File a Claim Against My Employer in California?

A: There are certain circumstances where you can file a claim against your employer in California, such as:

• Wage and hour law violations. This includes a failure to pay overtime or misclassifying employees.
• Harassment and discrimination in the workplace. This happens when an employer fails to address known workplace discrimination or harassment.
• Wrongful (unlawful) termination in retaliation for protected actions, such as filing a complaint about discrimination or harassment.

Q: What Is Wrongful Termination of Employment in California?

A: Wrongful (unlawful) termination of employment in California occurs when an employer fires an employee for an illegal reason. California operates under at-will employment laws. This means that employers and employees can end their employment relationship at any time and for any reason.

Employers cannot, however, end the employment in retaliation for whistleblowing or other protected actions, or based on discriminatory reasons regarding protected characteristics. If this is the reason for termination, the employee has grounds for a wrongful termination claim.

Get Experienced Legal Help With Hennig Kramer LLP

If your employer has violated your rights in Santa Clarita, contact Hennig Kramer LLP. Our legal team can help you determine if you have grounds for a claim and guide you through the process of protecting your well-being.