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Los Angeles Employment Lawyer
Los Angeles Litigation Law Firm 424-284-2401

Los Angeles Fair Labor Standards Act Lawyer (FLSA)

“Equal Justice Under the Law” is not just a catchphrase which is engraved above many courthouse doors. It’s one of the fundamental principles of our legal system. This same maxim applies in our work lives. Yet pay discrimination is still a severe problem in the United States. Wage theft, which takes many different forms, is a serious issue as well.

At Litigation, P.C., equal treatment is one of our own core values. We approach every case equally. Furthermore, we treat all our clients equally. This treatment includes a commitment to maximum compensation and open communication. We never sell your position short and always proactively communicate with you about important developments in your case.

A Los Angeles Fair Labor Standards Act lawyer can help with many issues.

Wage Theft

The FLSA includes mandatory minimum wage and time-and-a-half provisions. Employers cannot lower compensation below these minimum levels. Some examples of wage theft include:

  • Illegal Deductions: Employers may withhold taxes without an employee’s consent. Pretty much every other deduction, such as uniforms and training costs, require employee consent. Furthermore, the amount must meet certain standards.
  • Unlawful Tip Sharing: This issue comes up frequently in hospitality jobs. Generally, only full-time, customer-facing employees are entitled to a share of a tip pool. Managers and shift managers are not eligible for a share, even if they occasionally do things like fill orders or wait tables.
  • Pay Docking: Employers cannot dock the pay of a salaried employee. If the employee works for one minute on a given day, that employee is usually entitled to a full day’s salary. Obviously, such employees might be subject to some form of punishment for missing work.
  • Donning and Doffing: Factory workers often must put on protective clothes when they arrive and take off these clothes when they leave. Other workers must stand in security lines. These things usually only take a few minutes a day. But these nickels and dimes quickly add up to quarters and dollars.

In the everyday world, “theft” usually implies malice. But in this context, the theft need only be intentional, which means non-accidental.

Pay Discrimination

The gender pay gap is by far the largest wage discrimination area. On average, white women earn about 80 percent of the wages for the same job a white male performs. The discrepancy is even larger for most nonwhite women.

However, it’s not enough to prove a discrepancy. Plaintiffs must also prove the discrepancy was discriminatory. Some common defenses include experience differences and market conditions.

If you suspect pay discrimination in your workplace, you have a legal right to talk to other employees about their compensation. You also have a legal obligation to speak with your boss, state your case, and give the employer an opportunity to make things right. The boss cannot retaliate against you if you assert your rights in either of these areas.

The next step in this process is a legal claim, first with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and then with a Los Angeles Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lawyer.

Count on an Experienced Los Angeles County Employment Attorney

The law guarantees equal opportunity for everyone. For a confidential consultation with an experienced Los Angeles Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) lawyer, contact Litigation, P.C., at 424-284-2401 or online to learn about your legal options. We routinely handle matters throughout SoCal.