Ontario Employment Attorney for Employees

Q: I work through a staffing agency. Who is responsible for my unpaid wages?

Possibly both companies. Under Labor Code 2810.3, a business that brings in workers through a labor contractor can share legal responsibility for unpaid wages and for workers' compensation coverage. Discrimination and harassment claims can also reach both the agency and the company where you work, depending on who controlled your job.

Q: Does the indoor heat rule apply to my warehouse?

Yes, when the indoor temperature reaches 82 degrees Fahrenheit while employees are present. Employers must provide cool drinking water, cool down areas and rest breaks, and at 87 degrees, or 82 degrees for workers in protective clothing or near radiant heat, they must add controls such as cooling or schedule changes. Reporting heat conditions is protected activity.

Q: What happens if my employer does not give me meal or rest breaks?

Your employer owes you one additional hour of pay at your regular rate for each workday a meal period is missed, late or cut short, and another hour for each workday a rest break is missed. These premiums are treated as wages and can be claimed for up to several years back.

Q: When must my final paycheck be paid in California?

If you are fired or laid off, all wages are due immediately. If you quit with at least 72 hours' notice, they are due on your last day, and otherwise within 72 hours. A late final paycheck can trigger waiting time penalties of up to 30 days of wages.

Q: Do I have rights at work regardless of my immigration status?

Yes. California law protects all workers' rights to minimum wage, overtime, breaks and a workplace free of discrimination, regardless of immigration status. Threatening to report an employee's immigration status because the employee asserted those rights is unlawful retaliation.

Ontario is the logistics heart of the Inland Empire. Air cargo and parcel hubs at Ontario International Airport, hundreds of warehouses and distribution centers, and the retail, hospitality and health care jobs from downtown Euclid Avenue to Ontario Ranch all run on California law. That means daily overtime, meal and rest break premiums, warehouse quota protections and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA).

Milan Chatterjee, licensed in California and Nevada and former in-house counsel at Las Vegas Sands Corp., represents Ontario employees in unpaid wage, wrongful termination, retaliation and discrimination claims from the firm's office in Ontario, with consultations in English or Spanish.

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Employment claims we handle for Ontario workers

Unpaid wages and overtime: - daily overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, security screening time and late final pay.
Wrongful termination - firings after an injury, a complaint, protected leave or a refusal to break the law.
Retaliation and whistleblowing - punishment for reporting quotas, heat, safety or pay violations.
Workplace discrimination - including national origin, language and race based treatment.
Disability discrimination - denied accommodations or light duty after an injury or diagnosis.
FMLA retaliation - discipline or termination for taking protected family or medical leave.

Ontario employment attorney helping employees with workplace legal issues

Ontario, San Bernardino County

Why Ontario workers face employment disputes

Ontario's warehouses and air cargo operations move freight around the clock. Pick rates and production quotas, peak season mandatory overtime, and long walks or security lines before and after a shift can quietly cut into pay and breaks. California requires overtime after 8 hours in a day and a premium payment for every missed meal or rest period, so these issues add up quickly.

Many Ontario workers are hired through staffing agencies, which can make it unclear who is responsible when wages go unpaid. Physical work also brings injuries, indoor heat exposure and requests for light duty, and employees who speak up about quotas or safety are sometimes moved to worse shifts or let go.

Ontario follows the statewide minimum wage of $16.90 an hour, with higher industry rates for covered fast food and health care workers. Its airport, hotel, retail and hospital jobs add discrimination, harassment and leave issues, all governed by California law and federal law.

Your rights under California employment law

The protections that come up most often for Ontario employees in warehouse, logistics, airport and service jobs:

Labor Code 510: overtime after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and double time after 12 hours in a day.
Labor Code 512 and 226.7: meal and rest breaks, with one hour of premium pay for each day a break is missed.
Labor Code 2100 to 2112: large warehouse employers must disclose quotas in writing, and quotas cannot prevent breaks or bathroom use.
Cal/OSHA indoor heat rule (8 CCR 3396): protections when indoor work areas reach 82 degrees, with added controls at 87 degrees.
Labor Code 2810.3: a business using a staffing agency can share liability for unpaid wages.
FEHA, Gov. Code 12940: employers with 5 or more employees cannot discriminate, and harassment is prohibited at employers of any size.

Our Nevada employment law guide covers each of these in full.

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Call Now: (888) 785-9923

Ontario warehouse workers protected under California employment laws

Common Questions

Ontario Employees Frequently Asked Questions

Legal assistance for Ontario employees facing unpaid wages and overtime violations

My Ontario warehouse has production quotas. What are my rights?

California's warehouse quota law covers employers with 100 or more employees at one warehouse distribution center, or 1,000 or more across the state. They must give you a written description of each quota, cannot set quotas that prevent meal or rest breaks or bathroom use, and must provide your own work speed data if you ask. Retaliating against you for requesting that information is unlawful.

I work through a staffing agency. Who is responsible for my unpaid wages?

Does the indoor heat rule apply to my warehouse?

Your Ontario Employment Attorney

Milan Chatterjee is an employment attorney licensed in California and Nevada and a graduate of UCLA School of Law. As former in-house counsel at Las Vegas Sands Corp., a Fortune 500 employer, he saw how large companies set pay practices, manage staffing and defend employment decisions. He now uses that insight for Ontario employees from the firm's office on Shelby Street.