For Amazon, the hits just keep coming: The company is besieged by claims from employees that they’re overworked and forced to endure physically dangerous conditions nearly every day. Now, a former employee in one of the company’s California warehouses is alleging that...
Santa Barbara Employment Law Blog
Can you restrict your hiring options to candidates of a certain age?
When you’re coming up with the perfect candidate, you may have an age range in mind. Maybe you already have a relatively older workforce, for instance, and you want to bring on someone who is younger for their perspectives, technological proficiency and energy. Maybe...
Can your employer ask you who you’re dating?
You're a private person, and you prefer to keep your private life away from the workplace -- but your boss asks a lot of questions. Some of those questions are specifically about your romantic life. What can you do? Your personal life should stay personal. It has no...
What is caste discrimination?
A rather complicated discrimination lawsuit has been working its way through the California court system for almost a year now. The case is drawing headlines not only for its unique nature but also for the fact that it seems to have opened a floodgate on similar...
Spotting age discrimination in your California workplace
More and more older Americans are remaining a vital part of the U.S. workforce. In many cases, aging individuals keep working because they want to stay busy. Other times, these people need to continue earning a reliable income. Regardless of why older people remain on...
When it comes to discrimination lawsuits, are you an employer or an employee?
If you’re a high-level executive or partner in a company, are you entitled to discrimination protection under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act? The answer isn’t clear -- yet. Here’s why it matters: If you’re an employee who suffers discrimination, wrongful...
Meal breaks, training and work activities: When do employers pay?
When you’re on the clock, you should be paid for your work. What about times when you’re in your workplace and aren’t clocked in, though? Are there times when your employer is taking advantage of your hard work and failing to pay you? If so, then you’re not alone....
A look back on the biggest legal battles for employee rights in 2020
Once upon a time, employers in this country could pretty much get away with anything. They could pay women less, harass their female employees, assign people of color lower-paying or less-attractive work than white employees and do other egregious actions with total...
Do you get overtime pay for working more than 8 hours in a shift?
A standard workday in the United States is typically eight hours long. If an employee works five days in a week, that gives them a 40-hour week. While most employees know that they deserve overtime pay for exceeding 40 hours during the week, is the same true if you...
Fox News involved in another sexual harassment lawsuit
California residents are likely aware that Fox News has faced more than its share of sexual harassment lawsuits in recent years. The network’s problems began in 2016 when longtime host Gretchen Carlson accused its then Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes of inappropriate...