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Wage and hour concerns are among the most contentious employment issues, and equal pay is a sensitive area of employment law, one that results in a great number of lawsuits against employers. The state of California has a law in place called the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits sex-, race- and ethnicity-based wage differences in the workplace, and provides legal recourse for employees who are being paid less than an employee or employees of the opposite sex, or of another race or ethnicity, who are performing “substantially similar work” under similar working conditions.

California labor laws are some of the most protective employment laws in the nation when it comes to Wage & Hour Issues, and these laws establish specific requirements regarding the wages California employees are entitled to and when these wages must be paid by employers. Employers in California have a legal obligation to pay the wages their employees earn and to pay these wages on time, and any employer who violates the law by failing to pay employees or paying them late may expose themselves to penalties or legal claims for unpaid wages.

California has complex wage and hour laws that cover a number of important employment issues, including the overtime pay certain employees are entitled to for any extra hours they work. Under California labor laws, employers are generally required to pay overtime premiums to employees who work more than eight hours in a workday, more than 40 hours in a workweek, or more than six days in a workweek, unless otherwise exempt.

As of the date of this article’s last update (July 29, 2020), California’s statewide minimum wage is $13 per hour in businesses with 26 or more employees and $12 per hour in businesses with 25 or less employees.

Employment law is an area of the law governing the relationship between employers and employees. California wage and hour laws set the basic standard for pay and time worked, covering issues like minimum wage, overtime, tips and meal and rest breaks in California.

Similar to the matter of California employees being misclassified as exempt independent contractors is the issue of non-exempt employees being incorrectly classified as “exempt,” or not subject to important California wage and hour laws that establish standards for minimum wage, overtime and meal and rest breaks.

In a perfect world, employment agreements would be entered into with honest intentions, both sides would hold up their end of the agreement and no disputes would arise. However, this is not always the case and when one party involved in an employment contract fails to honor any obligations established by the contract, a breach of contract has occurred.

California employees suffering a Labor Code violation have an option for legal recourse in Private Attorney General Act of 2004 (PAGA).