New California Law Will Change Pay Stub Requirements

August 16, 2016 by

Pay StubOn July 22, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that will change pay stub requirements, allowing California employers to include less information on some of your employee wage statements. Assembly Bill No. 2535 amends Section 226 of the California Labor Code, which lays out what information must be listed on your pay stub, and which employees must receive them. The bill creates an additional exemption, regarding which employees must be provided with a list of how many hours they worked – meaning that fewer workers will be entitled to receive such a list.

Under existing law, all employees must be provided with a pay stub either at the time they are paid, or semimonthly. The wage statement must include certain types of information, including:

  • Gross wages earned
  • Net wages earned
  • The number of piece-rate units earned
  • Deductions
  • The dates of the pay period in question
  • The employee’s name, and the last four digits of the employee’s social security number or employee identification number, and
  • The employer’s name and address.

An employer is also required to list the hours that the employee in question worked during the pay period, unless the employee is a) a salaried employee, and b) is exempt from overtime.

What Pay Stub Requirements the New Law Changes

Under AB 2535, which takes effect on January 1, 2017, another group of employees will added to the hours exemption. Employers will not be required to list an employee’s total hours worked if the employee is exempt from the payment of minimum wage and the employee is exempt from overtime.

Some examples of employees who may fit this exemption are:

  • Outside salespersons
  • Employees working in an executive, administrative or professional capacity
  • Workers who are in their employers’ immediate families (such as someone who works for their spouse, their parent, or their child)
  • Computer software workers who are salaried employees in accordance with Section 515.5 of the California Labor Code (which makes certain software professionals exempt from overtime if they meet certain requirements)
  • People participating in (or working as staff members for) certain live-in rehabilitation programs focused on preventing substance abuse, and
  • Employees working in participation with certain national service programs.

Complying With Pay Stub Requirements

There are penalties for failing to comply with Section 226. An employer can face a fine of $50 for the first pay period in which it fails to provide an employee with the proper information – and $100 per employee per pay period for each violation in subsequent pay periods, up to $4,000. An employee who takes action against an employer regarding a Section 226 violation may be awarded costs and attorney’s fees. If an employer fails to allow an employee to inspect or copy records, the employer may be liable for a $750 penalty to the Labor Commissioner. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Wage and Hour Law Tagged With: , , , , ,

Social Security Disability and the Americans With Disabilities Act

August 21, 2015 by

social security disabilitySocial Security disability and the Americans With Disabilities Act. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires many employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. It also prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities. Many people are familiar with the basic provisions of the ADA, without actually understanding how it defines the term “disability.”

One likely source of confusion is the Social Security Disability program, which has a very different standard for determining who is disabled. Social Security Disability provides benefits for individuals who have worked in the past, but are no longer able to work because of disabilities. Anyone who has applied for Social Security Disability benefits can tell you that the Social Security Administration has extremely strict standards for qualification.

What many people don’t realize is that not all government agencies use the same standard for what constitutes a disability – and the ADA’s standards for a disability are far less strict than those of the Social Security Administration. In order to qualify for Social Security Disability benefits, an applicant must demonstrate that their disability is so severe that it prevents them from working altogether. The ADA, on the other hand, applies to people who are capable of working, so its definition is far broader.

The Language of the Americans With Disabilities Act

Under Section 12102 the ADA, the term “disability” means, with respect to an individual:

  • A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of an individual’s “major life activities”;
  • A record of such an impairment; or
  • Being regarded as having such an impairment.

The expression “major life activities” includes a wide variety of activities, such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, seeing, hearing, eating, sleeping, walking, standing, lifting, bending, speaking, breathing, learning, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, thinking and working.

It can also refer to what the ADA calls “the operation of a major bodily function.” Section 12102 includes the following examples: “Functions of the immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions.”

It is important to note that, as stated in the third bullet above, an individual can be protected by the ADA even if he or she does not have a disability that meets these requirements. The ADA prohibits discrimination based on the belief that an individual has a disability. This means that, for example, if an employer incorrectly assumes that an applicant for a typist position is HIV-positive, and refuses to hire him or her on that basis, this would violate the ADA, regardless of whether the employee actually is HIV-positive. If the applicant was regarded as having a disability, and was denied the job on that basis, then it does not matter whether the employer’s assumption was correct.

Violations of the Americans With Disabilities Act

If an employer has discriminated against you on the basis of a disability (or perceived disability), or is refusing to provide you with reasonable accommodations, you may have a valid ADA claim.

You may also have recourse at the state level. California has its own laws prohibiting discrimination, which are some of the strictest in the country. If you live or work in the Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Ukiah or Lakeport area, contact our experienced labor law attorneys at Beck Law P.C.,  to schedule a consultation and learn more about your legal options.

Filed Under: Americans With Disabilities Act Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Public Policy Exception for At-Will Employment

August 14, 2015 by

at will employmentIf you ask an employer what “at-will employment” means, there’s a good chance they’ll tell you that it means an employer can fire the employee for any reason they want – or for no reason at all.

This is a very common definition of at-will employment, but it isn’t quite accurate. An employer can fire an at-will employee for almost any reason – but there are exceptions.

The best known of these exceptions is that certain forms of discrimination can be illegal grounds for firing an employee. (In California, these forms include discrimination based on race, national origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy status, marital status, genetic information, and disability).

There are other reasons for firing an employee that are prohibited by statute. These reasons include firing an employee for filing a claim for workers’ compensation, or for taking leave that is guaranteed to them under federal or state law, or for engaging in protected union activity.

Another exception is that it is illegal to fire an employee for a reason that is in opposition to public policy. This means that an employee cannot be fired for:

  • refusing to violate a statute;
  • performing a statutory obligation;
  • exercising a statutory right or privilege;
  • reporting a violation of a statute of public importance.

If an employee files a claim against an employer for wrongful termination in violation of public policy, he or she will have to demonstrate that:

  • He or she was an employee of the employer;
  • That he or she was discharged by his or her employer;
  • That the alleged violation of public policy was a motivating reason for the discharge;
  • That the discharged caused the employee harm.

Yau vs. Santa Margarita Ford

A good example of these circumstances can be found in the case of Yau vs. Santa Margarita Ford, Inc. It involved an employee of an auto dealership, who became aware that some of his coworkers were submitting fictitious warranty repair claims. He chose to notify the owner of the dealership about what was happening, and his coworkers responded to the accusation by falsely accusing him of being the mastermind of the scheme. He was later told that he was being fired for alleged warranty fraud, and then was promptly led out of his office by sheriff’s deputies.

The employee filed a complaint against his employer for wrongful termination. He argued that the motivation for his firing contravened public policy set forth in several different laws (such as laws prohibiting criminal conspiracy, theft, fraud and deceit). A California Court of Appeal held that these statutes were statutes of public importance, and that his allegations were properly tethered to the statutes.

Have Your Rights Been Violated?

If you’ve been fired from a job in Sonoma County, Mendocino County or Lake County California and believe that the reason for your firing was in opposition to public policy, don’t let anyone tell you that your employer had the right to fire you “for any reason they wanted.” You may very well have a case against your employer, even if you were an at-will employee.

It may be well worth your time to contact an attorney. Our experienced Beck Law P.C. labor and employment law attorneys in Santa Rosa can evaluate your individual situation, and help you decide how to proceed. Contact our office today for a consultation.

Filed Under: California Labor Law, Employee Rights Tagged With: , , , , , ,

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