California Labor and Employment Law

Minimum Wages around the World

Without further ado, I present minimum wages from around the world. I obviously didn’t include every country in the world. However, I did manage to get at least a few countries from each of the main continents. I also included California which is not technically a country, but does have the eighth largest economy in the world by GDP. (more…)

Popularity: 12% [?]

My Boss, the Equal Opportunity Jerk

Every office has got one. A jerk whose sole mission in the workplace is to make everyone else miserable. If you’re really unlucky, that jerk happens to be your boss. I get a lot of calls from people that go something like this:

“My boss is a total jerk. He constantly yells at everyone and treats everyone like dirt. He makes ridiculous demands and picks fights with people all the time. Because of him, a lot of people have quit. (more…)

Popularity: 20% [?]

Can My Boss Fire Me at Any Time for Any Reason? What is “at will”?

“At-Will”. California is an “at-will” employment state. What does this mean? In most cases, it means that your boss can fire you at any time for almost any reason or no reason at all. She can fire you because she

1. doesn’t like you
2. thinks you’re too tall or short
3. thinks you talk too much or too little
4. is upset you didn’t say “Good Morning” to her in the right way
5. is mad you made the coffee too strong and forgot the cream
6. dislikes your shirt
7. thinks you’re too fat or thin
8. thinks you’re too ugly or good-looking
9. mistakenly thinks you did something that you didn’t
10. is in a bad mood and you happen to be the closest one to her
11. and on and on.

(more…)

Popularity: 25% [?]

Why Cursing at a Judge is NOT a Good Idea

I just came across this news story where a fellow called a judge an “SOB” several times. The judge found him in contempt of court and sentenced him to nearly 3 years in prison. Newsflash: judges can throw people in jail for disturbing the decorum of the court. Think twice before taking on a judge. That probably goes for some lawyers too. To read more about it, go this link.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Minimum Wage is Now $8.00 per Hour

As of January 1, 2008, the minimum wage in California increased from $7.50 per hour to $8.00 per hour. For more information, go to the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Popularity: 9% [?]

The Real Meaning of the Holidays

Ahh, the holidays. This is quite simply my favorite time of year. I’ve never understood how people could get depressed during the holidays. What with Christmas carols filling the air, the hubbub of shoppers at the mall, the menorahs, Christmas trees and colorful lights strung up on houses and streetlights, I can’t help but feel that this is a magical time of the year. No matter how tough things have been in my life, the holidays have always managed to put a spring back into my step.

When I was a kid, it seemed I spent the whole year looking forward to December. I could barely wait for my favorite holiday (more…)

Popularity: 11% [?]

Defamation in the Workplace

Introduction

You hear it all the time: “I’m going to sue you for slander!” “You’ve defamed me, you’re going to hear from my lawyer!” “That’s libel! I’ll see you in court!” Sometimes you’ll read about a celebrity getting big dollars because a newspaper has libeled her.

So what is “slander”? “libel”? “defamation”? And can you sue on them?

Let’s start with an easy one first. Libel and slander are types of defamation. Slander is oral or spoken defamation. Libel is written defamation.

What is defamation?

Now that that’s out of the way, what is defamation? Conventional wisdom holds that it is when someone says something bad about you. But the legal meaning of defamation, the type you can sue on, is much (more…)

Popularity: 34% [?]

The War on Americans

In my mind, I keep coming back to Michael Moore’s movie, Sicko. Although the movie was about the U.S. health care system, the point that has really stayed with me is something much bigger. It was something that was said by Tony Benn, a former member of British Parliament.

“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled. First of all, frighten people, and secondly, demoralize them. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern”.

I think this single statement crystallizes for me the entire sum of my thinking on what’s gone wrong with the US. Americans, quite simply, have become afraid of their government. And U.S. government, in turn, has become the servant of multi-national corporations which increasingly have no allegiance to any single nation. (more…)

Popularity: 18% [?]

Senate Passes Legislation to Strengthen Whistleblower Protection Act

Government employees who speak out against corruption, fraud or danger to public safety, usually at great cost to their careers and personal lives, have long found the door to justice slammed shut in their faces. U.S. officials have engaged in nothing less than all-out war to silence and punish whistleblowers. The courts, instead of upholding the law, have (more…)

Popularity: 35% [?]

Teacher Wins $1.8 Million Jury Award for Wrongful Termination

Fellow attorney Mary-Alice Coleman reports a $1.8 million award to a teacher in a wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation lawsuit against her former employer, private school operator Phoenix Schools Inc. Jennifer (more…)

Popularity: 27% [?]