California employment lawyers who build the case for workers.
Every firing, short paycheck and sudden bad review leaves a paper trail. We read it like evidence.
Employees First Labor Law fights exclusively for workers, in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, unpaid wages and denied leave. Bring us what you have, and we’ll show you what California law says about it.
- Exclusively for workers
- Exclusively for workers
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Exhibit index
- Termination letterWrongful termination
- Pay stubUnpaid overtime
- Text from a managerHarassment
- Performance reviewRetaliation
- Leave requestDenied leave
Client: you · Counsel: Employees First Labor Law
Your paperwork is evidence. Here’s what five ordinary documents can prove under California law.
A termination letter, a pay stub, a late-night text. On their own they look routine. Pinned side by side, they tell the story of what happened, and which law it broke.
Sample documents for illustration onlyRe: Separation of employment
Dear Alex,
Effective immediately, your employment with Your Employer, Inc. is terminated. This decision is final.
Your final paycheck will be mailed on the next regular payday.
Please return your badge and keys to the front desk today.
M. RuizHR Manager
Reported the broken forklift brakes to my supervisor on March 10.Exhibit A · Termination letter
“Mailed on the next payday”? Not when you’re fired.
When you’re fired, all of your wages, including accrued vacation, are due immediately. If an employer willfully pays late, a penalty of a day’s pay for each day late can follow, up to 30 days.
Labor Code 201 & 203 · Labor CommissionerFired four days after reporting a safety problem?
An employer can’t retaliate against you for reporting what you reasonably believe is a violation of a law or regulation, to a supervisor or to a government agency.
Labor Code 1102.5 · Whistleblower lawEarnings statement
03/01 – 03/14
| Earnings | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 80.00 | 22.00 | 1,760.00 |
| Overtime 1.5× | 0.00 | — | 0.00 |
| Double time 2× | 0.00 | — | 0.00 |
Timecard · Week 1
Exhibit B · Pay stub
Fifty hours on the timecard. Zero overtime on the stub.
In California, work over 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week is paid at one and one-half times your regular rate, and work over 12 hours in a day at double. Some jobs follow different rules.
Labor Code 510 · OvertimeYour pay stub must show your total hours worked and every hourly rate, with the hours worked at each.
Labor Code 226 · Wage statementsYou want more shifts? Be nicer to me. Drinks after close?
No thank you. Please keep it professional.
Read 11:44 PM Fri 8:05 AMTook you off Saturday. Don’t take it personal.
Exhibit C · Text from a manager
He made your shifts depend on a “yes.”
California bans sexual harassment at every employer, even one with a single employee, and requires employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent it. Punishing someone for turning down advances is illegal too.
Gov. Code 12940(j) · FEHA · Civil Rights Dept.“Exceeds expectations. A model employee.”
“Attitude problem. Not a team player.”
Three weeks after I complained to HR about discrimination.Exhibit D · Performance review
Five dots, one complaint, then one dot.
Your employer can’t punish you for opposing discrimination or harassment, or for filing a complaint, testifying or helping in an investigation.
Gov. Code 12940(h) · FEHAComplaining that you’re owed unpaid wages is protected too.
Labor Code 98.6“We can’t spare you right now.”
Exhibit E · Leave request
“Can’t spare you” isn’t the test.
If your employer has 5 or more employees and you’ve worked there more than 12 months and at least 1,250 hours in the past year, CFRA provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for your own serious health condition or to care for a family member.
California Family Rights Act · Civil Rights Dept.If a disability is involved, your employer must also make reasonable accommodation.
Gov. Code 12940(m) · FEHAYour exhibit isn’t on the board? Every case we take starts with one.
When the evidence is laid out, cases get resolved. Results our attorneys have won for California workers.
$200M+RecoveredCombined recoveries in cases handled by our attorneys including employment and injury matters. Every case is different, and past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
- Jury Verdict$2,000,000
Employment Trial, San Bernardino County Superior Court (2025)
- Settlement$2,650,000
Whistleblower Retaliation & Wrongful Termination
- Settlement$1,950,000
Pregnancy Discrimination & Wrongful Termination
- Settlement$1,800,000
Wage and Hour Class Action
- Settlement$1,750,000
Sexual Harassment & Wrongful Termination
- Arbitration Award$1,100,000
Associational Disability Discrimination & Wrongful Termination
What the law can put back.
Every case is different. Depending on the facts, California law provides remedies like these.
Discrimination, harassment, retaliation
Remedies the Civil Rights Department lists under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA):
- Back payPast lost earnings
- Front payFuture lost earnings
- Hiring or reinstatement, and promotion
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Emotional distress damages
- Punitive damages
- Attorney’s fees and costs
Wages you were owed
Under the California Labor Code, enforced by the Labor Commissioner:
- Unpaid overtime at 1.5× or 2×Labor Code 510
- Unpaid minimum wage, meal and rest breaksWage claim
- Waiting-time penalty: a day’s pay per day, up to 30 daysLabor Code 203
- Retaliation penalty: up to $10,000 per violation, paid to the workerLabor Code 98.6
Waiting-time penalties apply when an employer willfully fails to pay final wages on time.
- 3yearsto file a discrimination, harassment or retaliation complaint with the Civil Rights Department, from the last act.
- 3yearsto file a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner for minimum wage, overtime, and unpaid meal and rest breaks.
- 1yearto file a retaliation complaint with the Labor Commissioner, from the retaliatory act.
Some deadlines are shorter. The sooner your case review, the more options you keep.
Your case, live on your phone.
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Send photos, pay stubs, texts and documents straight from your phone to your file.
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Free Case ReviewBefore you open a case.
Straight answers to what California workers ask us most. Your free case review covers the rest.
What kinds of cases do your employment lawyers handle?
We fight exclusively for workers, in cases including wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, unpaid wages and overtime, retaliation, whistleblower claims, failure to accommodate a disability, and denied family or medical leave.
How much does it cost to talk to you?
Your case review is free. We work on contingency: our fee is a percentage of what we recover for you. How case costs are handled is spelled out in your written fee agreement.
Can I take action while I still work there?
Yes. You don’t have to quit first. California law prohibits retaliation for opposing discrimination or harassment, for complaining that you’re owed unpaid wages, and for reporting what you reasonably believe is a violation of law.
How long do I have to act?
It depends on the claim. A discrimination, harassment or retaliation complaint with the Civil Rights Department generally must be filed within three years of the last act. A wage claim with the Labor Commissioner for minimum wage, overtime or meal and rest breaks has a three-year deadline, and a retaliation complaint with the Labor Commissioner must be filed within one year. Some deadlines are shorter, so call early.
Does it matter how big my employer is?
Sometimes. California’s discrimination rules apply to employers with 5 or more employees. Harassment is prohibited in every workplace, even one with a single employee. CFRA leave applies at employers with 5 or more employees, if you’ve worked there more than 12 months and at least 1,250 hours in the past year.
What should I keep?
Anything that shows what happened and when: termination letters, pay stubs and timecards, schedules, texts and emails, performance reviews, and leave requests. Write down dates and names while they’re fresh, and bring what you have to your free case review.
What can I recover?
Depending on the facts: back pay and front pay, reinstatement, out-of-pocket expenses, emotional distress damages, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees and costs in discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases; unpaid wages and overtime and Labor Code penalties in wage cases. See what the law can put back.
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