Bay Area, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 21, 2014 / In a new Google Hangout San Francisco Employment Lawyer Eric Grover discusses how California wage laws protect employees
San Francisco Employment Lawyer Google Hangout - Employees are often put between a rock and hard place: to keep their job they must contend with blatantly illegal practices such as not paying for all time worked, not providing adequate meal and rest breaks, not providing sufficient - or even any - overtime pay, or not paying for unused vacation days. The good news is that employees do not have to put up with such illegal practices. California's wage and hour laws provide significant protections for workers. But the laws can be complicated, leaving employees unaware of their rights - and what to do when they are violated.
In a new Google Hangout, veteran employment lawyer Eric Grover, of the California labor and employment law firm Keller Grover, discusses the basics of wage and hour laws - giving employees an overview of their rights and how to tell when their employer has crossed the between what is unfair and what is illegal. Now available for viewing at the Keller Grover You Tube Channel at and on YouTube the video provides a concise and accessible "Wage and Hour Law 101."
These protections are greater - and more applicable - than many employees realize. For example, under California law, hourly employees must be paid for all time worked. Employer's cannot require that any work be performed "off-the-clock." Also, hourly employees must be paid one and a half times their regular wage after eight hours worked in a day and after 40 hours worked in a week. And while state law does not require employers to provide paid vacation, if an employer provides for paid vacation, an employee who leaves a job with accrued vacation pay is entitled to be paid for that unused vacation when they leave.
Workers also need to watch out for their employers improperly classifying them as independent contractors. By doing so, employers can avoid many obligations to their workers. The independent contractor classification is often misused because workers are not aware of their rights. Similarly, California law makes it illegal for an employer to fire or otherwise retaliate against an employee who complains about a violation of the wage and hour laws - but employees often don't take legal recourse against such action simply because they don't know that they can.
"California's wage-and-hour laws offer employees a host of protections designed to ensure that employers treat - and pay - workers fairly," says Grover, whose firm has offices in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. "It's important for employees to know their rights and to recognize when they are being taken advantage of. When they see that happening, an experienced employment lawyer can help guide them through the next steps, which can seem complex for those who haven't dealt with these issues day in and day out. But it is a process that gets results - making sure employees get the pay and the benefits to which they are entitled."
Related Resources / Articles on:
San Francisco Employment Lawyer Eric Grover
https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/104146581831225850488/104146581831225850488/about
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5HpZBavSXw&feature=youtu.be
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCzUHHHGxiUr71QF0GLPBig
https://plus.google.com/+KellerGroverLLPSanFrancisco/posts?hl=en
SOURCE: Keller Grover LLP