Fullerton

As of the 2020 census, Fullerton, in Southern California, had a population of 143,617 spread out over 22.4 square miles. The city’s major employees include Cal State Fullerton, Raytheon, St. Jude Medical Center, Albertsons Regional Corporate, Adams Rite Aerospace, and Nordstrom Design Center. The median income for households in Fullerton as of 2005 was $57,345. Around 14.6% of the population, however, lives below the federal poverty line; many Fullerton families experience extreme financial hardship when an employer ignores or willfully flouts the legal protections available to employees, such that the employee is demoted, loses pay, or suffers termination. Whether you’re worried about sexual harassment or an overtime claim, you should call our seasoned Fullerton employment law attorneys. The principal of the Calderone Law Firm, Vincent Calderone, has decades of experience seeking justice for employees who’ve been wronged..

Our seasoned lawyers have represented employees in a wide range of wage and hour lawsuits including those that involve minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, uniforms, class action lawsuits, and whistleblowing. It’s important to be aware that nonexempt employees have certain rights that gig workers or independent contractors or exempt employees do not. In some cases, employers misclassify nonexempt employees as independent contractors in order to avoid the costs associated with paying the requisite minimum wage, overtime, or procuring workers’ compensation insurance. Luckily, the law, not your employer gets the last word on how you should be classified and whether you should be treated as a nonexempt employee.

Moreover, even if you believe your claim is quite small, it may be appropriate to pursue damages from your employer, alongside similarly situated employees, in a class action lawsuit. You should call our seasoned employment law attorneys about your potential claim, even if you believe it’s minor or that your employer may be right that you are an independent contractor without the extensive rights accorded to employees.

We represent employees who experienced unfair discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, and need to recover damages. You may have faced employment discrimination if you were treated adversely in a workplace because you belong to a group that is protected under federal, state, or local laws. Most federal anti-discrimination laws are enforced by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). You’ll need to first file a charge with the EEOC within a certain time frame in order to file your lawsuit later in federal court. In most cases, the laws enforced by the EEOC only apply to midsize or large companies. It’s important to seek legal representation right away so you don’t lose your right to sue.

Often, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, which is the state anti-discrimination law, provides greater protection than federal law because it applies to smaller companies and protects a wider range of traits. Protected traits under FEHA include:

• Sex or gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related medical conditions)
• Gender identity, gender expression
• Sexual orientation
• Race or color
• Ancestry
• National origin
• Religion or creed
• Age (40 and over)
• Disability, mental and physical
• Medical condition
• Military or veteran status
• Genetic information
• Marital status

Here are a few examples of workplace discrimination when these actions are taken or not taken due to your protected trait or, in some cases, multiple traits:

• A restaurant fails to hire you because, during the interview, he sees you are from the Middle East, and you won’t present the right image to customers who want to be served by an All-American waiter.
• You are a veteran, and an employer fires you after you ask for a reasonable accommodation for your disability, which you acquired while serving in the military.
• The company you work for transfers you to another department and demotes you to a lower-paying position because you’re surgically transitioning to a different gender.

Employers typically have far more resources than their employees. Often, an employee who has been wronged in terms of wage and hour violations or discrimination or whistleblowing fears the employer’s retaliation. It can make a difference to hire an effective employment attorney. At the Calderone Law Firm, we can use our experience and insight, gleaned over many years, to fight for your workplace rights. Complete our online form or call us at (424) 348-8290 to find out whether you have a viable claim.