Coronavirus (Covid-19) FAQs for Employees
In these turbulent times, our lives are changing right in front of our eyes in all aspects, and the landscape of employment law is no exception. Employees across the state of California are experiencing layoffs, furloughs, and terminations from their job due to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and many employees have questions about their rights. Here are some FAQs to help:
-Q: Can my employer terminate my job due to the Coronavirus pandemic?
A: Depends on the circumstance. If the employee's relationship is not governed by any employment contract, employers are generally allowed to terminate employees at any time for any reason, including slowed business due to Coronavirus.
-Q: If my job terminates me or others due to Coronavirus, do they have to pay all my wages at the time of termination?
A: Yes. Coronavirus is not an excuse to pay wages already earned by employees. If you or others are terminated from your employment, you must be provided a final paycheck the same day of termination. That paycheck must that pays you for all your hours worked, as well must cash out any accrued vacation time.
-Q: As part of my termination due to Coronavirus, my job is making me sign a severance agreement where I agree to release any claims I have against my job... do I have to sign this agreement?
A: No. Unfortunately, during these times, employers are finding this a good time to place pressure on employees by forcing them to sign papers that are not required by law to sign. Some of these documents state that by signing those agreements, employees release any claims they have or may have against their employer. Sometimes employers are going further and offering money to the employees as a "severance" in order to secure the employee's signature and get the release of claims. If this happens to you, you should immediately ask the employer for more time to review the document, and you should seek the help of an attorney immediately as signing such a document significantly affects your rights.
-Q: Does my employer have to warn me ahead of time prior to a layoff or termination?
A: It depends. Years ago, California enacted what is called the WARN Act, which provided for penalties if employers did not sufficiently warn employees before mass-layoffs (layoffs of more than 75 people in one location). However, due to Coronavirus, laws are changing. Employers are still subject to penalties, but regulations are much more relaxed. If mass lay-offs are occurring at your job, it's best to speak with an attorney to discuss your rights.
-Q: My employer has not spoke to me in days/weeks, and is not returning any of my calls/emails. Is there anything I can do?
A: If this is the case, and your employer owes you wages, they can't just ignore you. You are entitled to collecting wages you have earned, no matter how bad things get with Coronavirus and the economy. If your employer continues to ignore you, consult with an attorney.
Coronavirus Issues Related to Employment Law
There are some unique/rare legal employment law issues that arise from the current state of affairs regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Can my employer/boss force me to go to work during coronavirus? Can I be disciplined for taking off work because I am feeling sick? Can I be disciplined for attendance for failing to show up to work out of caution? These are all valid questions that should be analyzed keeping in mind California's existing anti-discriminatory, anti-retaliation, and sick leave laws. Employers should exercise caution when denying employees the ability to work from home when such a reasonable accommodation can be made. Employees who experience harassment or discrimination due to feeling symptoms of coronavirus or out of an abundance of caution of contracting or spreading coronavirus should contact a lawyer immediately to discuss their rights.
Final Approval Granted For Armed Security Guard Class Action Lawsuit To Reimburse for Business Expenses
Srourian Law Firm proudly announces that the San Bernardino Superior Court granted final approval of a $375,000.00 settlement achieved on behalf of former and current armed-security guards of a large private security company for a failure to reimburse guards for expenses incurred in purchasing and maintaining weapons, belts, vests, and other related expenses necessary to carry out duties as an armed guard.
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Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims against security guard companies for failing to provide their employees with necessary business equipment such as weapons, belts, and bulletproof vests. Similarly, time spent putting on or taking off uniform is compensable time, though many security companies fail to actually compensate guards for that time. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with a security guard company in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Srourian Law Firm Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Altura Credit Union For Violation Of California Labor Code And Related Claims
Srourian Law Firm has filed a putative class action on behalf of former and current non-exempt workers of Altura Credit Union in Riverside Superior Court. The lawsuit includes all non-exempt workers of Altura, including but not limited to customer service representatives, loan officers, office staff, and similar non-managerial duties. The lawsuit alleges that Medmen violated various provisions of the California Labor Code, including failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, failure to authorize meal breaks and rest breaks in accordance with California law, failure to timely pay final paychecks, failure to provide proper paystubs, and violation of California Private Attorney General Act, among several other violations.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
The class action lawsuit, titled Blum v. Altura Credit Union is currently pending in Riverside Superior Court Case No. RIC1902157. If you worked for any Altura location in California at any time from March 29, 2015, until the present and would like more information about this case, please call us at (310) 601-3131 or send an email to contact@slfla.com. Be sure to give your name, telephone number, and the best time to reach you, and an attorney will get back to you soon.
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Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims against Altura, and other California banks and credit unions in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with a bank or credit union, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Srourian Law Firm Negotiates $1 Million Settlement On Behalf Of Amazon Drivers
Srourian Law Firm is happy to report it successfully negotiated a $1 million settlement on behalf of a statewide group of Amazon delivery drivers claiming, among other violations, failure to compensate time spend waiting off-site to get picked up with a shuttle, in addition to failure to pay overtime for hours worked in excess of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. The lawsuit was not against Amazon itself, but rather, a third party company contracted to perform deliveries on behalf of Amazon.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Class Members who stand to recover from this action will be notified of settlement upon approval of the settlement with the Court.
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Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims o behalf of California delivery drivers in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with any delivery company, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Srourian Law Firm Leads The Way In Getting Preliminary Approval On Near $1 Million Settlement On Behalf Of California Airport Workers
Srourian Law Firm is happy to report it successfully obtained preliminary approval on a nearly $1 million settlement on behalf of a statewide group of workers at LAX, John Wayne, and Long Beach airports claiming, among other violations, unpaid time spent parking off-site and taking a shuttle to the worksite, as well as deficient meal and rest periods.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Class Members who stand to recover from this action have begun to be notified of settlement and will be paid upon final approval of the settlement with the Court.
FREE CONSULTATION
Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims o behalf of California airport workers in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with any airport, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Srourian Law Firm Wins Appeals, Sends Shore Hotel Class Action Lawsuit From Arbitration Back To Court
In a decisive victory for workers throughout the State of California, Srourian Law Firm obtained a favorable appellate decision from the California Court of Appeals, Fifth Division, reversing an earlier Los Angeles Superior Court decision to direct a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of former and current workers of The Shore Hotel in Santa Monica, California, to individual arbitration. The initial order meant the class representatives could not proceed on a class action basis and seek recovery on behalf of all former and current Shore Hotel workers. The Court of Appeal reversed, finding the purported arbitration agreements to be invalid and unenforceable under the law. The class action will thus proceed.
You can read the whole decision by clicking here.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
The class action lawsuit, titled Prado v. Shore Hotel (Sand & Sea), is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. BC600236. The class includes all non-exempt workers of Shore Hotel, including but not limited to housekeeping, bellmen, food and beverage, front desk, concierge, parking, and other similar non-managerial duties. The lawsuit alleges that Shore Hotel violated various provisions of the California Labor Code, including failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, failure to authorize meal breaks and rest breaks in accordance with California law, failure to timely pay final paychecks, failure to provide proper paystubs, and violation of California Private Attorney General Act, among several other violations.
If you worked for Shore Hotel in California at any time from November 4, 2011, until the present and would like more information about this case, please call us at (310) 601-3131 or send an email to contact@slfla.com. Be sure to give your name, telephone number, and the best time to reach you, and an attorney will get back to you soon.
FREE CONSULTATION
Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims against Shore Hotel, and other California hotels in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with a hotel, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Securitas Case Expands PAGA
The Labor Code Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (Labor Code section 2698 et seq.)
(“PAGA”), deputizes “aggrieved employees,” giving them the authority to enforce California
Labor Code violations in the workplace on behalf of themselves and other aggrieved employees.
In PAGA actions, the State of California is the real party in interest while the employee acts as a
private attorney general. For this reason, if an aggrieved employee succeeds in a PAGA action,
25% of any civil penalties recovered goes to the aggrieved employees, while the State of
California receives the remaining 75%.
A PAGA action is different than a traditional class action where a plaintiff must have standing to
sue – the class representative plaintiff must have suffered the injury that the class they seek to
represent also suffered. As recently explained in Huff v. Securitas Security Services USA, Inc.,
2018 S.O.S. 2555 (May 23, 2018, review denied Aug. 8, 2018), a PAGA plaintiff may sue on behalf
of all other aggrieved employees who have suffered violations of the Labor Code even if the
PAGA plaintiff did not suffer those violations.
In the Securitas case, the trial court initially found that PAGA plaintiff Huff was not a temporary services
employee and therefore had no standing to sue for the violations relating to that category of
worker. However, the Court of Appeals reasoned that the purpose of PAGA is not to recover
damages or restitution, but to deputize private citizens as private attorneys general to enforce the
Labor Code. Therefore, the Court of Appeals allowed PAGA plaintiff Huff to bring claims even
if he did not personally experience the Labor Code violations. As long as a PAGA plaintiff
personally suffered at least one of the alleged violations, the PAGA plaintiff can bring any other
claim suffered by the aggrieved employees of the same employer.
Securitas clearly expanded the scope of PAGA. In order to fully take advantage of this
opportunity, a PAGA plaintiff must make sure to meet the pleading requirements by establishing
sufficient facts and theories for their claims. If you or someone you know are being denied your
meal and rest breaks, or are suffering any other wage related issues, contact Srourian Law Firm
to speak with an attorney about your rights.
Srourian Law Firm Leads The Way In Getting Preliminary Approval On $800,000 Settlement On Behalf Of San Diego Call Center Workers
Srourian Law Firm is happy to report it successfully obtained preliminary approval on an $800,000 settlement on behalf of a group of workers at a San Diego call center claiming, among other violations, deficient meal and rest periods, and failure to pay overtime for shifts beyond 8 hours by instituting a policy of resetting the workday in the middle of the shift due to the shift going past midnight.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
Class Members who stand to recover from this action have begun to be notified of settlement and will be paid upon final approval of the settlement with the Court.
FREE CONSULTATION
Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims on behalf of California call center workers in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with any call center, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.
Srourian Law Firm Files Class Action Lawsuit Against MedMen For Violation Of California Labor Code And Related Claims
Srourian Law Firm has filed a putative class action on behalf of former and current non-exempt workers of MedMen in Los Angeles Superior Court. The lawsuit includes both front of house and back of house workers, including cashiers, sales, and inventory. The lawsuit alleges that Medmen violated various provisions of the California Labor Code, including failure to pay minimum wage, failure to pay overtime, failure to authorize meal breaks and rest breaks in accordance with California law, failure to timely pay final paychecks, failure to provide proper paystubs, and violation of California Private Attorney General Act, among several other violations.
You can read more about the lawsuit by clicking here or by clicking here.
SROURIAN LAW FIRM’S CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
The class action lawsuit, titled Medlock v. Manlin I LLC, is currently pending in Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 18STCV05391. If you worked for any MedMen location in California at any time from November 16, 2014, until the present and would like more information about this case, please call us at (310) 601-3131 or send an email to contact@slfla.com. Be sure to give your name, telephone number, and the best time to reach you, and an attorney will get back to you soon.
FREE CONSULTATION
Srourian Law Firm, with locations in Los Angeles, Westwood, Woodland Hills, and Orange County is aggressively pursuing claims against MedMen, and other California cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles, Hollywood, Santa Monica, Orange, Irvine, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Tustin, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, Garden Grove, Laguna Niguel, Brea, Fountain Valley, Aliso Viejo, Yorba Linda, Westminster, Laguna Hills, Cypress, and La Habra. If you or someone you know suffered violations of the California Labor Code in relation to their employment with a cannabis dispensary, you may be entitled to compensation as a part of the class action lawsuit. Please contact us to speak with one of our lawyers for a free consultation.