Employee Rights

Contrary to popular belief, unemployment insurance claims are not approved automatically. Instead, each filing undergoes a careful review by the California Employment Development Department (EDD), the offices in charge of managing unemployment claims. When it receives...

There’s been a lot of media attention recently on the conditions faced by employees who work in large warehouse distribution centers like those run by Amazon. That’s been in no small part because of the employees themselves speaking out about those conditions and the...

When considering workplace bullying and harassment, it would be understandable to think about verbal threats and intimidation, name-calling, hostile working environments and many other factors. However, many employees have very few face-to-face interactions in the...

As a California resident, you're likely aware of The Fair Chance Act. You may know it as the “Ban the Box” law. It went into effect here in California on Jan. 1, 2018. You'll see it referenced on virtually every job vacancy posting in the state. If you’ve ever been...

If you are one of the many Californians who lost their job during the last year, there may be some good news. The California governor recently signed Senate Bill 93. It gives formers employees priority when an employer is recruiting. Senate Bill 93 does not apply to...

You know that California is an “at-will” state when it comes to employment. That generally means that your employer can fire you for any reason they want as long as that reason isn’t against the law or public policy. There are exceptions to that rule, however. One of...

Federal laws protect pregnant workers from discrimination and create a system for unpaid maternity leave even if employers don't offer paid leave as a benefit. California has even more protections for pregnant women and new mothers. Much like pregnancy, lactation (the...

Our readers in California are used to seeing news reports about gender and race discrimination occurring in Hollywood by now. But, these prominent news stories can easily drown out discrimination cases that have originated from other sources during the same time...

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA, is a federal law that was passed in 1974 and took effect in 1975.Although the scope of ERISA has been broadened many times via amendments to address issues that arose after the law, the primary purpose of the law...

As an employee, most people are probably aware that they have some very basic rights and if their employer violates these rights they may take legal action. However, if you are now, or have ever, searched for a job, you likely know that one of the very important...