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Employment Law Overview

San Francisco Employment Law Attorney

California and federal law regulate the way employers treat employees in the workplace. California employment law and federal law each provide employees with various legal rights. Our experienced lawyers can help employees determine whether they have a legal right to recovery, when they believe the employer has treated them unfairly.

If you believe you have suffered an employment law violation in San Francisco, or elsewhere in California, you may be able to obtain compensation and seek justice for the wrongs you have suffered. An experienced, employment law attorney can best investigate all the facts, including the employer’s personnel practices and training requirements, to determine whether California or federal laws against employees have been violated.

Kinds of Employment Law Rights

California and federal law protect your rights by prohibiting such acts as:

  • Discrimination in the workplace
  • Sexual harassment at work
  • Retaliation in the workplace
  • Wrongful termination

Discrimination

California and federal regard discrimination as a violation of an employee’s legal rights. Discrimination can include decisions based on the following:

  • Race
  • Color
  • National origin
  • Ancestry
  • Religion
  • Gender
  • Pregnancy
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation
  • Marital status
  • Age

Employers need to treat employees fairly, and base workplace decisions on performance rather than on any of the above characteristics.  

Discrimination can occur when employers hire, promote, fire, discipline, or otherwise take action, affecting the status of an employee in the workplace.

Sexual Harassment

California and federal law prohibit sexual harassment in the workplace. Harassment can include such obvious conduct as unwelcome advances. But sexual harassment also includes more subtle conduct, such as implying that an employee will only be promoted if he or she grants someone a sexual favor. An employee can also file a claim for sexual harassment when the employer creates a hostile work environment by allowing sexual harassment to continue in the workplace.

Retaliation

Retaliation refers to action taken against an employee for exercising his or her legal rights in the workplace. For example, if an employee files a complaint concerning discrimination or harassment, and the employer fires the employee because of that complaint, this could be considered retaliatory and thus illegal under California and federal law. Demotion can also be considered retaliatory if done in reaction to an employee complaint or assertion of legal rights.

Wrongful Termination

California and federal law prohibit wrongful termination. An employee can bring a wrongful termination claim against his or her employer if the employee was terminated for a reason other than of job performance. This can include termination due to:

  • Discrimination against the employee.
  • Retaliation against the employee for filing a complaint about the employer or the workplace, or for asserting his or her legal rights.

California Employment Law Lawyers

If you need the services of a California employment law attorney, it is important to seek an attorney with expertise and an excellent reputation. The Law Offices of Mayor Joseph L. Alioto and Angela Alioto P.L.C. is distinguished by its expertise and national recognition in Civil Rights and Employment Law. We successfully represent individuals in the areas of work-place discrimination based on race, age, disability, gender, religion and sexual orientation, as well as harassment, wage/hour, retaliatory discharge, and wrongful termination.