Fontana Employment Attorney for Employees

Q: I work at a Fontana hospital or clinic. What minimum wage applies to me?

California sets a separate minimum wage for covered health care workers, including many nurses' aides, technicians, janitorial, food service and clerical staff at hospitals and clinics. The rate depends on the type and size of the facility and reaches $25.00 an hour at large health systems, well above the $16.90 general minimum.

Q: Can my employer make me pay for my own tools, phone or vehicle?

No, not when they are needed to do the job. Labor Code 2802 requires employers to reimburse necessary work expenses, including mileage, a reasonable share of a personal phone used for work, uniforms and required tools. Unreimbursed expenses can be recovered with interest and attorney's fees.

Q: What is pregnancy disability leave in California?

Employees of employers with 5 or more workers can take up to four months of job protected leave while disabled by pregnancy, childbirth or a related condition. It is separate from the 12 weeks of CFRA leave available to bond with a new child, so many employees can take both.

Q: How long do I have to file a discrimination complaint in California?

A FEHA complaint generally must be filed with the California Civil Rights Department within three years of the discriminatory act. After the department issues a right-to-sue notice, you generally have one year to file a lawsuit.

Q: Can I be fired for reporting sexual harassment in California?

No. FEHA prohibits retaliation against anyone who reports harassment, opposes it or takes part in an investigation. Being fired, demoted, given worse shifts or disciplined after a complaint can be a separate retaliation claim, even if the harassment itself is disputed.

Fontana is one of the largest cities in San Bernardino County, built on steel and now powered by trucking, warehousing and health care. Drivers work out of yards along the I-10 and I-15, distribution centers line the city's industrial corridors, and a major regional medical center employs thousands, alongside the schools and retailers of Sierra Lakes, Southridge and Summit Heights. California's wage laws, the ABC test for independent contractors and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) protect each of these workers.

Milan Chatterjee, licensed in California and Nevada and former in-house counsel at Las Vegas Sands Corp., represents Fontana employees in unpaid wage, misclassification, wrongful termination, harassment and discrimination claims, with consultations in English or Spanish.

Schedule Free Consultation

Call Now: (888) 785-9923

Employment claims we handle for Fontana workers

Unpaid wages and overtime: - driver misclassification, unreimbursed expenses, missed breaks and overtime.
Wrongful termination: - firings after an injury, a complaint, protected leave or a refusal to break the law.
Retaliation and whistleblowing: - punishment for reporting safety, pay or patient care problems.
Sexual harassment: - by supervisors, coworkers or patients, at employers of any size.
Pregnancy discrimination: - denied accommodations or pregnancy disability leave.
Workplace discrimination: - unequal pay, denied promotions or termination based on a protected trait.

Fontana, San Bernardino County

Why Fontana workers face employment disputes

Trucking is central to Fontana's economy, and driver classification is one of the most common problems we see. Drivers labeled independent contractors often pay for fuel, insurance, truck leases and maintenance out of their own earnings, and receive no overtime or break premiums. Under California's ABC test, many of them are legally employees who are owed all of it back.

The city's warehouses bring long shifts, quotas and injury related disputes, while its hospital and clinic workforce faces mandatory overtime, missed breaks during short staffed shifts, and harassment by patients or coworkers. Pregnancy accommodation and leave issues are frequent in both settings.

Fontana follows California's statewide minimum wage of $16.90 an hour, and covered health care workers have their own higher statewide minimum. California law and federal law decide each of these claims, and the deadlines for wage, discrimination and leave claims differ, so early advice matters.

Your rights under California employment law

The protections that come up most often for Fontana employees in trucking, warehouse and health care jobs:

Labor Code 2775 (ABC test): a worker is an employee unless the company proves all three parts of the test, which most drivers working a company's freight do not meet.
Labor Code 2802: employers must reimburse necessary business expenses, such as fuel, tools, phones and work vehicles.
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 1182.14: a separate, higher minimum wage for covered health care workers.
Labor Code 246: at least 40 hours or 5 days of paid sick leave each year.
Gov. Code 12945: pregnancy accommodation and up to four months of pregnancy disability leave at employers with 5 or more employees.

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

Schedule Free Consultation

Call Now: (888) 785-9923

Fontana, San Bernardino County employment law protections covering employee misclassification, business expense reimbursement, unpaid overtime, health care minimum wage, paid sick leave

Common Questions

Fontana Employees Frequently Asked Questions

Fontana, California trucking employment law covering independent contractor misclassification, the ABC test, unpaid driver overtime,

My trucking company calls me an independent contractor. Am I really one?

Possibly not. Under California's ABC test, you are an employee unless the company proves you are free from its control, you perform work outside its usual business, and you run an independent trucking business of your own. Drivers hauling a carrier's loads often fail that test and can recover unpaid overtime, break premiums and costs such as fuel, insurance and lease deductions.

I work at a Fontana hospital or clinic. What minimum wage applies to me?

Can my employer make me pay for my own tools, phone or vehicle?

Your Fontana 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 classify workers, set pay practices and defend employment decisions. He now uses that insight for Fontana employees from the firm's nearby Ontario office.

California and Nevada Bar

UCLA School of Law

Former In-House Counsel, Las Vegas Sands Corp.