Most California employees either wait too long to contact an attorney or, they never contact one at all. The consequences of inaction can be expensive. Check out these three recent examples. If you were fired like these people, what would you do?
OVERWORKED WAREHOUSE WORKER
A 35-year old warehouse worker in central California worked so hard (and so long) that he could not take his regularly scheduled breaks. In fact, he has missed work breaks for years. One day, he complained to his boss. The next day he was fired.
PREGNANT SECRETARY
A 30-year old secretary in Southern California was excited about her pregnancy. When she was three months pregnant, she met with her boss to tell him that she was pregnant. The very next day she was fired.
UNDERPAID RESTAURANT DISHWASHER
A 40-year old dishwasher at an upscale restaurant in San Francisco was constantly working overtime. There were weeks when he would work as many as 20 hours of overtime. He was well known as an outstanding employee and his bosses loved him—but they still never paid him overtime. One day, just like the above Warehouse Worker, he complained to a supervisor. The next day he was fired.
Unfortunately, these three individuals shared two things in common: Each worker may have been fired unfairly—as well, each worker may have been owed substantial money.
In the Warehouse Worker’s case, it’s very likely his employer was engaged in what’s called a “Wage and Hour Violation” by not allowing him to take breaks. With the Pregnant Secretary, she may be owed money because she was fired due to her pregnancy. And with the Dishwasher, he may be owed all of the overtime money that the restaurant did not pay him.
WERE YOU RECENTLY FIRED? Well, you’re not alone. Most California employees are not aware that wrongfully terminated employees may be owed money.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS | KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Because California is an “at-will” employment state (employers are free to terminate employees at any time) employees think that they have no rights. Nothing could be further from the truth. Learn more about your employee rights. Contact us today.
Lawyers for Employee and Consumer Rights (LFECR) is a leading California employment law firm. With more than forty remote attorneys, LFECR is prepared to work on behalf of their clients anywhere in California.
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