Working in Los Angeles is a dream for millions, yet many who work there soon discover it is a hotbed of wage theft. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reports that 30 percent of workers in the county are paid less than the minimum wage, which amounts to workers being cheated out of an average of $26-28 million each week.

Violations of wage and hour laws are wage theft. This is a crime and takes a huge toll on hardworking people who just want to receive the pay they earned for an honest day’s work. If your Los Angeles employer refuses to pay you the wages and overtime pay you are legally entitled to, talk to an experienced wage and hour attorney as soon as possible.

You can explain your story, share evidence, and receive tailored legal advice during a free consultation with us. If you have a strong case for compensation, our employment attorneys may agree to represent you. Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg at 323-746-1853 or fill out our confidential online contact form, and we will schedule a free consultation with a Los Angeles wage and hour lawyer for you.

Legal Protections for Los Angeles Workers

Los Angeles employers must comply with state and federal laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and California Labor Code. Any practices that deny California workers their rightful wages and benefits under these laws could amount to wage theft.

California employment laws have been strengthened in recent years to give employees and gig workers more rights to receive the pay they deserve.

Employee rights under California law

There are two types of employees in California: non-exempt and exempt employees.

Non-exempt employees must earn at least the minimum wage. They are also entitled to benefits, including overtime pay and meal and rest breaks. Although not required by law, some employers may also provide sick pay, holidays, and vacation pay.

Exempt employees must earn a minimum of twice California’s minimum wage. So, as of 2025, full-time exempt employees must earn at least $68,640. Exempt employees receive a guaranteed salary and are not entitled to the same benefits as non-exempt employees.

Assembly Bill 5 (AB5)

Employee Versus Independent Contractor

It could be tempting for an employer to misclassify employees as independent contractors to avoid paying the fair wages and benefits that are due to non-exempt employees. To attempt to curb this practice, since January 1, 2020, Assembly Bill 5 has required employers to apply the “ABC test” to determine the workers’ employment status.

Unless a business satisfies all of the following requirements, a worker is an employee and not an independent contractor:

• The business does not control or direct the worker
• The work performed is outside the usual course of the employer’s business
• The worker is customarily engaged in this type of work and has an independent business of this nature

If you feel that you are being unfairly classified as an independent contractor when you are really an employee, talk to an AMG Law hour claims lawyer to understand your rights

Proposition 22 and Gig Workers’ Rights

The number of gig workers has increased exponentially in recent years, with some California workers enjoying the flexibility of working for Uber, Lyft, Door Dash, and similar businesses. Proposition 22, also enacted in 2020, excludes gig workers from being classified as employees. However, it does provide minimum earnings guarantees for gig workers although it does not entitle them to the same protections as non-exempt workers.

Understanding Wage and Hour Violations

Traditional employees are at risk of wage violations and losing out on benefits mandated by California law. Despite strengthened laws, wage and hour violations persist.

If you have been a victim of any of the following common wage and hour violations, you may have the right to take legal action against your employer:

• Unpaid or underpaid overtime: When a non-exempt employees works more than 40 hours per week, or 8 hours in a regular workday, they are entitled to overtime pay. In part, California wage and hour laws require overtime to be paid at a rate of 1.5 times the regular pay rate. Hours beyond 12 hours in a workday must be paid at 2 times the regular rate of pay.

• Minimum wage violations: As of 2025, California workers must be paid a minimum hourly rate of $16.50, with certain employees entitled to higher minimum wages. However, in the City of Los Angeles, minimum wage requirements are even higher, at $17.28 ($17.27 in Los Angeles County).

• Misclassified workers: Some employers misclassify workers as independent contractors when they should be non-exempt employees. Wrongly classified workers miss out on benefits such as minimum wage protections, sick pay, and workers’ compensation insurance.

• Illegal deductions: Employers may make unauthorized or fabricated deductions from an employee’s wages. Under California law, employees must still receive the minimum wage after deductions.

• Failure to receive contracted wages: Under the California Wage Theft Protection Act of 2011, Los Angeles workers must receive a written notice containing the “rates of pay and basis thereof, whether paid by the hour, shift, day, week, salary, piece, commission, or otherwise, including any rates for overtime, as applicable.” If you do not receive fair wages per your contract on time, you may have the right to pursue compensation from your employer.

• No meal or rest breaks: Under California law, non-exempt employees in Los Angeles are entitled to meal and rest breaks. You could be entitled to compensation if your employer does not allow you to take these rest periods.

Other examples include illegally rounding down working hours, not being reimbursed for business expenses, and not receiving wages on time.

Overtime rights in Los Angeles

Overtime can be a contentious issue in some workplaces. You may wonder whether your employer has the right to demand that you work overtime under California law. The answer is yes. Both federal and state employment law allow employers to force non-exempt employees to work overtime. An employer also has the right to discipline, demote, or even fire workers who refuse to work overtime.

However, if overtime puts your health or safety at risk or violates your contract, your employer cannot insist on it. Of course, if your employer does not provide overtime wages for all overtime worked, then your worker rights have been violated and you can pursue a claim for unpaid overtime.

Legal options for wage and hour violations

If you have experienced any of the above or another wage and hour violation not mentioned, now is the time to explore your legal options. Remember, it is illegal for your employer to retaliate if you ask about unpaid wages or file a wage and hour violation claim.

If an employer commits wage and hour violations against one employee, he or she is likely committing the same violation against many employees. If your attorneys discover this is the case, a class action lawsuit may be a better option. This involves a group of people – in this case, underpaid or misclassified workers – being represented in a single legal action.

An AMG Law wage and hour claims lawyer can help you navigate California law and understand your rights to pursue legal action. If we agree to take on your case, we will fight tenaciously for the compensation you deserve.

Seeking Compensation for Unpaid Wages

When a Los Angeles employer fails to pay the state’s minimum wage or engages in other forms of wage theft, the Labor Commissioner’s Office can help.

In general, you can go by the following process to resolve wage and hour disputes:

• File a wage claim: You can file a wage claim online and provide supporting documentation. This could include pay stubs, time records, bounced paychecks, written notice of employment information, and any collective bargaining agreements in force. The Labor Commissioner’s Office will then investigate your claim and determine whether there are grounds to proceed.

• Settlement conference: The Labor Commissioner’s Office will invite you and your employer to a settlement conference to attempt to reach a legal settlement. You have a right to be represented by a wage and hour lawyer who can fight for your best interests.

• Wage claim hearing: If the issue cannot be resolved at a settlement conference, your claim will proceed to a wage claim hearing before a hearing officer from the Labor Commissioner’s Office. Although the hearing is informal, California employers and employees must testify under oath, and the session is recorded. The hearing officer will inform both parties of a decision 15 days after the hearing. Both parties have the right to appeal.

Why Hire a Wage and Hour Lawyer?

A Los Angeles wage and hour attorney from an experienced law firm skilled in employment law can help your claim in several ways:

• Navigate California labor laws: California labor laws are tricky and constantly changing. There are many exceptions and exemptions to consider. Successfully proving issues such as employee misclassification, off-the-clock work, and rest break violations requires the expertise of an experienced Los Angeles wage and hour attorney.

• Support to achieve maximum compensation: When you employ an attorney, they have one focus – obtaining maximum compensation for you. This includes helping you collect unpaid wages, rest and meal breaks, overtime, and other penalties owed by your employer.

• Protection against retaliation: When you hire a California wage and hour claims attorney to represent you, your employer knows you take your hours claim seriously. This makes it less likely the employer will try to retaliate illegally.

• Negotiation skills: While it may be possible to settle your case out of court, some complex violations of employment laws require litigation. At the negotiating table and in court, it pays to have a passionate and tenacious wage and hour claims attorney fighting for your rights.

There are various time limits for filing claims for unpaid wages against California employers. So do not delay in seeking legal advice. The sooner you speak with an Allred, Maroko & Goldberg wage and hour attorney, the sooner your lawyer can file your claim.

Seek Justice and Compensation With AMG Law

California workers deserve to receive fair pay for all the hours they have worked. If your Los Angeles employer has wrongly classified your job, failed to pay overtime wages, or violated employment laws in some other way, now is the time to understand your legal options.

An experienced AMG Law wage and hour claims attorney is waiting to hear your story and explain your legal options. We offer a free initial consultation, and most cases are carried out on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. We have recovered millions of dollars for victims of employment law violations, and we are ready to evaluate your case.

You work hard – now make sure you are paid what you deserve. Call Allred, Maroko & Goldberg today at 323-746-1853 or complete our confidential contact form and discover whether you have a case for compensation.