California Overtime Laws

California Overtime and Wage Laws

The FLSA is administrated by the Wage and Hour Division of the federal government and is designed to protect the rights of American workers. In addition to these federal laws, California has enacted additional employment laws including an overtime law. Under California law, employees must earn 1.5 times their regular hourly wage for any time they work over 8 hours in one day as well as hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a work week. Workers who work more than 12 hours in one day are entitled to double (2 times) their hourly wage. California employment law also states that each employee is entitled to one paid 10 minute break for every 4 hours worked, and an unpaid 30 minute lunch after working 5 hours in a day.

Common Claims in Overtime Lawsuits

It is not uncommon for California employers to “bend the rules” or violate state and federal laws in an effort to save money by not paying their employees the overtime wages they are due. Common grounds for illegal denial of overtime wages our California overtime lawyers have encountered include:

  • Denying overtime pay unless overtime hours are pre-approved
  • Failing to pay overtime wages to employees because they earn a salary and not hourly wages
  • Misclassification of employees who are non-exempt from overtime pay
  • Avoiding paying workers overtime by requiring them to work off the clock
  • Failing to pay employees for meetings or on-the-job training
  • Miscalculation of wages when determining overtime pay rates

Contact a California Overtime Lawyer

The California and federal laws that regulate overtime pay are complicated, and many employees feel too intimidated by their employers to report overtime or wage violations. If you believe that you are entitled to overtime pay you did not receive, let the overtime lawyers at Phillips Dayes Law Firm fight for your rights until you recover the full compensation you have earned. To learn more about California overtime laws and how they relate to you, we invite you to contact us to schedule a free legal consultation and evaluation of your claim.