Los Angeles Labor and Employment Articles

What a Good CA Employment Contract Looks Like

There are different types of California employment contracts, depending on the relationship between the employee and the employer. The relationship can be defined as employer/employee, or the “employee” may be defined as a contractor. A contractor gets paid via a 1099 form and is typically a business hired by another business. A business can be defined by a single person working for him or herself, even as a sole proprietor. Subsections in an Employment Contract No matter what the relationship, a good California employment contact drafted by a Los Angeles labor lawyer should contain all of the following for both employees (salary or hourly) and contractors: • Definitions – define terms such as total disability, good cause, term of agreement• Employment – spell out the terms of the employment• Term – length of employment, including mutual agreement, resignation, death or disability, termination and...

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Whistleblowers on the Construction Site

A whistleblower is a person who comes forward and publicly alleges that an individual, company or organization has defrauded the United States government or a state government. In short, a whistleblower reports fraud. On a construction site, public works fraud makes the rich companies richer and it can put the public and workers at risk. Even when government money is not involved, construction safety issues that go unreported put lives in danger. It is up to the employees to report what they believe are illegal acts by employers. In many cases, whistleblowers are more effective than regulation when it comes to rooting out illegal activity by employers. Construction Site WhistleblowersThere are many people on the typical construction site who are in a...

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What Privacy Rights do Employees Have?

Employees in California enjoy some of the strongest privacy protections in the United States. The California Constitution guarantees all state residents the right to "pursue and obtain" privacy within the workplace balanced by the employers' rights to monitor business operations. Technology Privacy Rights Technology raises complicated privacy issues in the workplace. Generally, your employer does have the right to monitor your communications such as: Business telephone calls Voicemail messages E-mail Internet Telephone Call Privacy California's Privacy Act requires that an employer inform the employee of telephone conversation recording or monitoring. Not all businesses follow this requirement however. A recording without your knowledge and...

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Making Sure Your California Farm Follows All Labor Laws

A 17-year-old girl from Mexico was working in the fields in a farm east of Stockton when temperatures rose to record numbers. It was 95 degrees Fahrenheit and water was not anywhere in site. The nearest cooler was as far as a ten-minute walk from her station where she was tying grape vines. Breaks were limited and a supervisor would not allow breaks long enough for the 17-year-old girl to go to get a drink. She worked diligently until her body could not take it anymore and she collapsed from heat exhaustion. By the time she reached the hospital, her body was at 108 degrees Fahrenheit and she was in a coma. Two days later, the girl died, and the medical personnel discovered that she was pregnant with her fiancé’s child. The company who owned the farm was accused of delaying treatment. Even though stringent heat and labor laws have been passed in the State of California, farm workers are still dying in the field. And many companies are still found to be in...

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