Abramson Labor Group’s Long Beach employment lawyers represent hotel staff, port and warehouse workers, and other Long Beach employees, never employers. We take cases on contingency, so you pay no fees unless we win. Long Beach sets its own wage and safety rules for hotel workers, and we know how to enforce them. Also, we serve Long Beach from our Burbank office in English and Spanish.
Why Long Beach Employees Choose Abramson Labor Group
- Our case 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 represent employers.
- You can talk with us in English or Spanish, and our intake team also assesses cases in Armenian.
- This page explains the Long Beach rules hotel and port workers ask about most: the hotel worker wage, room-cleaning limits, panic buttons, and driver expenses.
What Rights Do Long Beach Hotel and Port Workers Have?
Long Beach has no general city minimum wage, so most employers owe the $16.90 state minimum for 2026. Also, the city says plainly that the Los Angeles County minimum wage does not apply to businesses inside Long Beach. However, hotel workers are the big exception.
The hotel worker minimum wage: $26.50
Under Measure RW and Municipal Code Chapter 5.48, covered Long Beach hotels must pay at least $26.50 an hour from July 1, 2026. In addition, the city notice requires hotels to tell workers about the new rate in writing. So if your hotel still pays last year’s $25.00 rate, it may owe you the difference for every hour since July 1.
Room-cleaning limits and panic buttons
The city’s Hotel Working Conditions ordinance (Chapter 5.49) covers hotels with 50 or more guest rooms. For example, your hotel must give you a panic button at no cost when you work alone in a guest room. Also, it cannot make you clean more than 4,000 square feet of floor space in an eight-hour day unless it pays you double for that day. Finally, the ordinance bars your employer from cutting your pay, raising your workload, or taking other action against you for using these rights.
Port drivers and warehouse workers
Many drivers who haul from the port pay for fuel, insurance, and truck costs out of pocket. Yet if you are an employee, Labor Code section 2802 requires your employer to repay necessary work expenses. Because California presumes most workers are employees, a “contractor” label does not settle the question. Our Ontario driver and warehouse page explains the test and the 2026 truck ownership rule.
Recognize your situation above?
What to Look For in a Long Beach Employment Lawyer
A strong Long Beach employment lawyer works only for employees and knows the city’s own hotel ordinances, not just state law. So ask these questions before you hire anyone.
- Who they work for. Ask whether the firm ever represents employers.
- Local ordinance knowledge. Since Long Beach hotel rules go beyond state law, ask whether the firm has worked with Chapters 5.48 and 5.49.
- Expense and classification experience. For port drivers, ask how the firm proves employee status and unpaid expenses.
- How they charge. Look for contingency representation with no upfront fee.
Which Court Hears Long Beach Employment Cases
Long Beach sits in Los Angeles County, and the Los Angeles Superior Court runs the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse at 275 Magnolia Avenue, which hears civil, criminal, traffic, and family cases. However, the court decides which courthouse hears each lawsuit, so your case may go elsewhere in the county. Starting a case does not require a trip to court, because we prepare and file the paperwork for you.
Employment Cases We Handle for Long Beach Workers
- Wage and overtime claims, including unpaid hotel wage increases and driver expenses.
- Retaliation after you use a panic button, report a workload violation, or complain about pay.
- Sexual harassment by guests, supervisors, or coworkers.
- Wrongful termination when a firing breaks the law.
- Workers’ compensation for dock, warehouse, and housekeeping injuries.
- Whistleblower claims when you report illegal practices.
Serving Long Beach and Nearby Communities
We represent workers across Long Beach and the South Bay. For nearby cities, see our pages for Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, and Garden Grove. For the state laws behind every claim, visit our page on employment lawyers across California.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the hotel worker minimum wage in Long Beach?
From July 1, 2026, covered Long Beach hotels must pay at least $26.50 an hour, up from $25.00. So if your pay did not change on July 1, ask us whether your hotel owes you back wages.
Can my hotel make me clean more rooms than the city allows?
Not without paying extra. Under Chapter 5.49, a hotel with 50 or more rooms cannot require you to clean more than 4,000 square feet in an eight-hour day unless it pays you double for that day.
Does the Los Angeles County minimum wage apply in Long Beach?
No. The city states that the county wage does not apply to Long Beach businesses. Instead, most workers get the $16.90 state rate, while covered hotel workers get the higher city rate.
How much does a Long Beach employment lawyer cost?
We work on contingency, which means you do not pay anything unless we win. Also, your case evaluation is free, and you will not pay for legal counsel or court fees out of pocket. Our fee is a share of any settlement or verdict, so if there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fees.
Request a Free Long Beach 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 explain your options in plain terms. 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.