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Expertise - Best Employment Lawyers in Santa Clara 2021
Expertise - Best Employment Lawyers in Santa Clara 2022

California’s New Minimum Wage Law is in Effect

On January 1, 2016, California’s minimum wage was raised from $9 per hour to $10 per hour for most employees. Because there are a few exceptions, it is important to understand how the law may affect you or your business.

At $10 per hour, California currently has the highest state minimum wage in the country. Employers governed by state and federal laws are required to comply with the law that is better for workers. So even though the federal minimum wage rate is $7.25 per hour, most California employers must pay employees at least $10 per hour.

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, exceptions to the state minimum wage law include:

  • Immediate family members of the employer
  • Outside sales staff
  • Apprentices indentured under California’s Division of Apprenticeship Standards
  • People who are “learners,” during the first 160 working hours in jobs for which they do not have experience

In addition, employers with physically or mentally disabled workers and nonprofits employing disabled workers may pay less than the minimum wage if they are issued a license by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

If you believe you should be paid the new minimum wage, but your employer is not doing so, you can speak with an employment law attorney to learn about your rights. Any type of wage violation, including minimum wage and overtime pay violations, may mean your employer is not following the law. You can also report wage violations to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Employers who feel they are being unfairly forced to pay the new minimum wage rate can also contact an attorney to discuss their rights and options.

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Mr. Cai Is a Diligent Attorney. My sister and I were defendants in a civil litigation case. We hired James Cai and his law firm, SAC Attorneys LLP. Mr. Cai is a diligent attorney and responded to our questions in a timely fashion. He and his staff were very helpful in keeping us informed of the proceedings of the case and in explaining each step. Mr. Cai is also very conscientious of fees and costs, and avoided unnecessary charges. The results of the Summary Adjudication sided with us. The Court Trial resulted in the “Final Statement of Decision” and “Judgment after Court Trial” overwhelmingly siding with us. Cynthia F.
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I Am Truly Impressed. After spending a significant amount of time, money and efforts with my previous counsel at a larger law firm without getting meaningful results, I transferred my employment matter to SAC Attorneys LLP. The attorneys there were able to understand the complex situations of my case and put together an aggressive litigation strategy. We were able to file a compelling complaint within a week and forced the opposing party, which was represented by one of the largest law firms in California, to make a substantial settlement offer shortly thereafter. I am truly impressed by the no nonsense and results oriented approach by SAC Attorneys LLP attorneys. A job well done! X. Gao
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They Took Time to Understand Our Technology. I am the founder of a bioinformatics start-up in the Silicon Valley and chose SAC Attorneys LLP as our corporate counsels. Their attorneys have great experience with high tech start-ups and were able to offer a highly competitive service plan while not sacrificing a bit of their quality of services. They took time to understand our technology and provided value added services by introducing investors and job candidates to us. We regard our attorneys at SAC Attorneys LLP not only as our legal advisors but also our venture partners. Dr. Pete S.