Irvine Employment Lawyers

Employees have a number of rights that must be protected. When companies cut corners by violating the rights of their employees, the wronged workers may file a class action lawsuit to pursue financial compensation for their losses.

Employers have it in their best interest to avoid these types of bitter situations because they often prove costly and are bad publicity. Unfortunately, some companies continue to blatantly break employment laws forcing employees to make some difficult decisions regarding the actions they must take.

In such cases, wronged employees would be well advised to discuss their legal rights and options with an experienced Irvine employment lawyer.

Examples of Labor Law Violations

There are a number of issues that can lead to a wage claim or class action lawsuit against an employer. Some examples of wage claim issues include:

• Failure to provide correct wages or compensation for overtime. It is common for employers to ask employees to work more than eight hours without additional pay. Under California law, even salaried employees must be provided overtime pay whenever they work more than eight hours in one day.
• Failure to give meal or rest breaks. Some employees feel like they must work through meal periods or that they will be fired if they ask for their legally mandated breaks. Companies that foster this type of behavior or that don't allow breaks can be held liable.
• Working off the clock. Employers are not allowed to ask employees to "punch-out" before continuing to work. When an employee is working, he or she should be paid for the hours worked.
• Failure to pay all wages due. Employers may owe workers for wages that they have neglected to pay. Companies that routinely pay the wrong amount or employers who owe a number of their workers back pay may be fostering a workplace that violates state laws on a regular basis.
• Failure to pay at time of termination. Just because an employee has been fired, it does not mean that he or she does not have rights. Employers must pay their terminated employees for the hours they worked up until the time of the termination.

Class action lawsuits involve the consolidation of many similar claims against a company. They allow the claimants to remain anonymous and for one law firm to handle the case.

This way the court will not have to hear several claims that are similar in nature and victims of wrongdoing can pursue compensation as a group.

It is common for wage claims to result in class action cases because a company that violates the rights of one employee is likely violating the rights of multiple employees.

Corporations and companies that fail to pay their employees properly, who do not provide sick leave, who do not allow meal breaks or who fail to pay overtime should be held accountable for their actions.

Protecting Employees' Rights

If you have been working for a prolonged period of time without proper pay or breaks, you may worry that speaking up with cost you your job.

The experienced Irvine employment lawyers at Bisnar Chase Personal Injury Attorneys can help workers who are in such tough situations better understand their legal rights and options. It is possible those other employees have similar complaints or that there has already been a claim filed against your employer.

It would be in your best interest to discuss your situation with a class action and wage claim attorney who will remain on your side and fight for your rights. Please contact us to find out how we can help you.