Abramson Labor Group’s Bakersfield employment lawyers represent oil field crews, farmworkers, and other Kern County employees, never employers, and we work on contingency, so you pay no fees unless we win. Most unlimited employment lawsuits here go to the Metropolitan Justice Building, 1215 Truxtun Avenue. Also, we serve Bakersfield from our Burbank office in English and Spanish.

Why Bakersfield Employees Choose Abramson Labor Group

  • Our documented results include $1.5 million for a sexual harassment client and $500,000 in a pregnancy discrimination case.
  • Clients rate us 4.5 stars across 1,900+ Google reviews (as of Sept 2026).
  • Zev Abramson founded the firm in 2015, earned his J.D. at Loyola Law School, and belongs to CELA and CAALA.
  • We work only for employees, so we never defend companies.
  • You can talk with us in English or Spanish, and our intake team also assesses cases in Armenian.
  • This page covers the claims Kern County workers often ask about: safety retaliation in the oil fields, salaried “supervisor” jobs that still owe overtime, and farm labor rights.

Employment Law in Bakersfield: What Local Workers Should Know

Bakersfield has no city minimum wage, since neither the city nor Kern County appears in the UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory. So your employer owes at least the $16.90 state minimum for 2026. Instead, local disputes tend to follow the county’s biggest kinds of work: oil production, farming, and the supervisors who run those crews.

Oil field safety and the right to refuse unsafe work

Rig hands, pumpers, and roustabouts work around pressure, heavy equipment, and chemicals. For that reason, Labor Code sections 6310 and 6311 protect you when you complain about safety, report a workplace injury, or refuse work that would violate a safety order and create a real and apparent hazard. In addition, your employer cannot demote, cut hours, or fire you for any of those steps. So if the write-ups started right after you raised a concern, keep copies and note the dates.

“Field supervisor” titles do not end overtime

Some oil, farm, and logistics employers put crew leads on salary and call them exempt. However, a salary alone does not make you exempt. For 2026, an exempt employee must earn at least $70,304 a year and must spend more than half of work time on true management, administrative, or professional duties. Therefore, your employer may still owe overtime to a “supervisor” who spends most of the shift doing the same hands-on work as the crew, under Labor Code section 510.

Farmworkers: overtime and heat

Since January 1, 2025, every agricultural employer owes overtime after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, regardless of size. Also, California’s outdoor heat rule requires shade once it tops 80 degrees, and at 95 degrees or more, farm employers must give a 10-minute cool-down break every two hours. For a deeper look at labor contractors and farm pay in the Valley, see our Fresno farmworker page.

Recognize your situation above?

What to Look For in a Bakersfield Employment Lawyer

A strong Bakersfield employment lawyer works only for employees, understands oil field and farm work, and knows how Kern County courts handle these cases. So ask these questions before you hire anyone.

  • Who they work for. Ask whether the firm ever represents employers.
  • Safety retaliation experience. Because these cases turn on timing, a good lawyer asks for your incident reports, texts, and schedule changes early.
  • Exempt status know-how. Ask how the firm tests whether a salaried crew lead really qualifies as exempt.
  • How they charge. Look for contingency representation with no upfront fee.

Which Court Hears Bakersfield Employment Cases

Kern County Superior Court sends civil claims over $35,000 to the Metropolitan Division Justice Building at 1215 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301, according to its civil filing page. As a result, most Bakersfield employment lawsuits start there. Even so, starting a case does not require a trip to court, because we prepare and file the paperwork for you.

Employment Cases We Handle for Bakersfield Workers

Serving Bakersfield and Nearby Communities

We represent workers in Bakersfield and across Kern County’s oil and farm towns. For other cities in the region, see our pages for Fresno, Palmdale, and Santa Clarita. For the state laws behind every claim, visit our page on employment lawyers across California.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my Bakersfield employer fire me for refusing unsafe oil field work?

Generally, no, if the work would violate a safety order and create a real and apparent hazard to you or your coworkers. Under Labor Code sections 6310 and 6311, your employer also cannot punish you for reporting an injury or a safety problem. Still, each case depends on the facts, so talk to a lawyer before you act.

My employer pays me a salary as a crew lead. Does it still owe me overtime?

It might. In 2026, your employer must pay at least $70,304 a year, and you must spend more than half your time on exempt duties, before it can skip overtime. So if you spend most of your day working alongside the crew, your employer may owe you overtime for past shifts.

Where do Bakersfield workers file an employment lawsuit?

For claims over $35,000, Kern County Superior Court directs filings to the Metropolitan Justice Building at 1215 Truxtun Avenue. However, many wage cases start with the Labor Commissioner instead, so ask which path fits your claim.

How much does a Bakersfield employment lawyer cost?

You do not pay anything unless we win, and your first case evaluation is free. Also, you will not pay for legal counsel or court fees out of pocket while your case moves forward. Instead, we take a share of any settlement or verdict, and if there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees.

Request a Free Bakersfield Employment Law Case Review

Talk to us before you sign anything, quit, or let a deadline pass. Call (213) 493-6300 or request a free case review, and we will walk you through your options. You do not pay ANYTHING unless we win!

Last updated: September 2026

This page provides general information, not legal advice. Contacting Abramson Labor Group does not create an attorney-client relationship.