California Wage Theft Blog
Know your rights. Know what you’re owed. Know how to collect.
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Uniforms, Tools, and Dress Codes: What Your Employer Must Pay For
If the employer requires a distinctive uniform or specific tools, the employer buys and maintains them. Charging workers for required gear is a quiet wage theft in restaurants, security, and healthcare.
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Illegal Paycheck Deductions: Shortages, Breakage, and Mistakes Are Not Your Bill
Cash drawer short? Customer walked out? Company laptop damaged? California generally forbids taking any of it from your paycheck — ordinary business losses belong to the business.
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Time Clock Rounding After Camp v. Home Depot: Every Minute Counts
For decades employers rounded punches to the nearest quarter hour. California courts have now made clear that when the system captures exact minutes, workers must be paid for exact minutes.
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Unpaid Training, Orientation, and Meetings: Almost Always Illegal in California
Onboarding sessions, mandatory meetings, e-learning at home, and required certifications on your own time are hours worked. Unpaid training is one of the most common wage thefts in retail and healthcare.
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Travel Time Pay: Job Sites, Company Vehicles, and the Commute Exception
Driving between job sites, riding mandatory company transport, or traveling to distant assignments is paid time in California — the unpaid commute rule is far narrower than employers pretend.
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On-Call and Standby Time: When Waiting Is Working in California
If your employer controls your time between calls — response windows, distance limits, activity restrictions — those hours may be compensable even when the phone never rings.
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Split Shift Premium: The Extra Hour Owed When Your Day Is Broken in Two
Work a morning shift, go home unpaid, and return for the evening rush — California adds one hour of minimum wage to your day, and most workers have never heard of it.
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Sent Home Early? Reporting Time Pay Guarantees Half Your Shift
Show up for a scheduled shift and get cut after an hour, and California guarantees you pay for half the shift anyway — a rule on-call scheduling systems violate constantly.
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When a Paycheck Bounces: Labor Code 203.1 Keeps Your Wages Running
A bad paycheck is more than a bank fee problem — California keeps your wages accruing as a penalty until the employer makes it good.
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Use-It-or-Lose-It Is Illegal: Recovering Accrued Vacation and PTO in California
Vacation in California is deferred wages. It cannot expire, and every accrued hour must be paid out at your final rate when you leave.
California Wage Theft Recovery System 