Burbank

Burbank is located in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, near Los Angeles. It is home to many media and entertainment companies including the Walt Disney Company, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Studios, Universal Studios, and The CW. The city is also the location of the Hollywood Burbank Airport. All industries have employers that commit legal infractions. In some cases, there is relief available when you have been subject to illegal conduct by an employer, whether in a media or entertainment company, or another type of business. If you are in a dispute with an employer, you should call the seasoned Burbank employment lawyers of Calderone Law Firm.

There are different employment classifications: exempt employees, nonexempt employees, and independent contractors or gig workers. In Burbank, you are protected by California’s wage and hour laws if you are a nonexempt employees in the state but these laws do not apply to you, if you are an independent contractor or an exempt employee. In recent years, with the rise of a gig economy, some companies have misclassifies workers as independent contractors or exempt employees in order to avoid paying overtime, minimum wage, and for certain meal and rest breaks, as well as to avoid paying workers’ compensation premiums for their workers. It’s important for you to be aware that the law controls your classification, and you may be able to recover for wage theft if you are a nonexempt employee who has been treated as if you fall into another unprotected classification. If you think that the company you work for committed wage and hour violations, it’s important to call us. Sometimes the damages may seem too small to bother with, but when there are multiple workers, it may be appropriate to bring a class action lawsuit. 

Federal laws protect you against discrimination, harassment and retaliation if you work for a midsize or large company. These laws include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. However, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) provides much broader protection. FEHA applies to even those companies that havejust five employees. Importantly, sexual harassment, which is prohibited under federal law only in larger workplaces, is prohibited in every workplace of every size in California. As a Burbank employee, whether exempt or nonexempt, you have the right to pursue relief under FEHA. It can be confusing to know whether you have a claim. However, keep in mind that workplace discrimination happens when an employer takes an adverse employment action against an employee based on a personal trait—whether race, gender, national origin, religion, or another trait set forth under FEHA or an applicable federal law. What counts as an adverse employment action? Termination, failure to promote, unequal pay, layoffs, and failure to provide equal opportunities in the workplace based on a protected trait. 

Our lawyers understand workers’ fear about coming forward about their employer’s legal violation or act against public police, and we work hard to make sure that their rights are protected. Sometimes employers retaliate against workers for their actions in coming forward or testifying against them, even though this is illegal. However, as a whistleblower, there are a number of laws that may protect you against retaliation and allow you to recover damages for it. The California law that generally prohibits whistleblower retaliation is Labor Code 1102.5. This law prohibits your employer from retaliating against you for disclosing what you reasonably believe is a legal violation. Your employer is also not allowed to retaliate against you because you testified or provided information to a public body investigating the legal violation. 

Your employer likely has significantly more resources than you do and is able to hire experienced attorneys to protect their interests. Accordingly, it’s important for you to hire a lawyer who is well-equipped to protect your rights, whether you disagree with your employer about your wages or workplace discrimination. If you need to file an employment lawsuit in Burbank, call Calderone Law Firm. Vincent Calderone, the founder of the Calderone Law Firm, has more than 20 years of experience representing plaintiffs in employment lawsuits. Please call us online or call us at (424) 348-8290.