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What happened in Martinez?
A former EMT sued his private ambulance employer, alleging it systematically underpaid overtime, double time, and meal/rest premiums by excluding nondiscretionary bonuses from the regular rate of pay. The company paid around ten different types of
Ah, California—land of sunshine, traffic, and apparently endless ways to make employers recalculate payroll. As of January 1, 2026, the statewide minimum wage jumped from $16.50 to $16.90 per hour. That’s a whopping 40 cents more per hour for
Imagine meditating for enlightenment… only to realize your “stipend” for four years of cooking, cleaning, and guest-hosting at the San Francisco Zen Center was $198.33 a month. Cue one very grounded wage claim.
In Lorenzo v. San Francisco Zen Center
California employee have a right to basic sanitation facilities like clean drinking water, accessible restrooms, and safe eating areas at work.
The Law Is Clear: Employers Must Provide Basic Human Needs
California’s labor laws don’t just govern wages and hours—they
California’s highest court has made it clear: employers who fail to pay minimum wage cannot escape liquidated (essentially double) damages by claiming they didn’t know the law. The recent Iloff v. Lapaille decision from the California Supreme Court sends a