Los Angeles Employment Law Blog

In today's world of business, its not uncommon for employers to weed out older employees in favor of younger and, often, less experienced workers. Although older workers provide value in terms of experience, some employers may see older employees as hurtful to their bottom line, since older, experienced employees are often paid more.  Discriminating against an employee because of age or any reason is against the law in California. What can be done when an employee experiences discrimination in the workplace? The victim can take legal action and file a lawsuit.

A man in another state recently filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, citing age and sexual discrimination. The man worked as a program manager and claims he was told that he was being terminated after more than 20 years working for the company. The plaintiff was 59 years old at the time of his termination. The lawsuit, which has been removed to federal court, claims he was terminated due to his age and sex.

If you are an employed, expectant mother and the company you work for employs 15 or more people, you have certain rights with regard to your pregnancy status when it comes to your work environment. More specifically, you have a right to enjoy a work environment free from pregnancy-related harassment or discrimination, and you also have the right to make certain moves on account of your pregnancy without having to fear retaliation from your employer or co-workers.

While these rights protect you if you are currently pregnant, they can also do so if you were recently pregnant, if you are trying to become pregnant, have a pregnancy-related medical condition or recently had, or are considering having, an abortion.

Workers these days may feel as if they are overworked and underpaid. Employers in California and across the nation are constantly looking for ways to cut costs, especially in today's economic climate. This is why wage and hour laws were enacted. These laws exist to ensure that workers are paid for the work they provide. Claims were filed against a construction company in another state after they allegedly failed to pay overtime to employees.

An investigation launched by the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor found that the company neglected to pay its employees overtime after the employees had worked over 40 hours in a workweek. The company also split employees' hours into two separate pay checks each week, to make it look like employees had not worked overtime, according to allegations. The company was recently ordered to pay back wages and damages to employees, as well as fines.

Navigating life in modern-day America can be a challenging and daunting endeavor. A crucial part of a successful life these days is obtaining stable, full-time employment. Gainful employment contributes to a person's sense of accomplishment and well-being. When a job is wrongfully stripped away due to things like discrimination or harassment, the effects can be absolutely devastating not only financially, but also psychologically. In the state of California, discrimination and harassment in the workplace is not only wrong, it is illegal.

A woman in another state filed a lawsuit after she was forced to quit because of what she says was a hostile environment. According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff was treated horribly and harassed by many of her co-workers. Allegedly, her co-workers would frequently yell at her and talk about her in a derogatory manner. The plaintiff claims she reported the harassment to her manager but nothing was done.