Protecting the Rights of Santa Clarita Workers
If your employer violated your rights at work, you need an attorney who fights exclusively for employees. Abramson Labor Group represents workers in Santa Clarita and throughout California in cases involving wrongful termination, unpaid wages, workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and more. We work on contingency — you pay nothing unless we win.
Santa Clarita is the third-largest city in Los Angeles County, with a population exceeding 228,000 and a workforce of over 112,000 residents. The Santa Clarita Valley’s economy is driven by a diverse mix of industries — healthcare and medical devices, aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, professional services, film and television production, logistics, entertainment, education, and retail. Major employers include Six Flags Magic Mountain, Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, Boston Scientific, Sunkist, Princess Cruises, and a growing roster of corporate headquarters that have relocated to the valley.
Whether you work at a corporate office in Valencia, a medical device manufacturer in the Centre Pointe Business Park, on set at one of the valley’s many production facilities, or at a business along Bouquet Canyon Road, California employment law protects you. When those protections are violated, we hold employers accountable.
More than 35 years of combined experience. Over 500 five-star Google reviews. Five attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. A unanimous jury verdict in a retaliation case.
Call for a free consultation: (213) 493-6300
Wrongful Termination
California is an at-will employment state, but at-will does not mean your employer can fire you for any reason. Termination is wrongful when it is motivated by discrimination against a protected characteristic, retaliation for exercising a legal right, a refusal to participate in illegal activity, or a violation of public policy.
Common wrongful termination claims include being fired after reporting harassment, being let go shortly after filing a workers’ compensation claim, losing your job after taking medical or family leave, being terminated after requesting a disability or pregnancy accommodation, or being fired after raising concerns about fraud, safety, or other illegal conduct.
If you were recently terminated and the stated reason doesn’t match what actually happened — or if the timing points to something your employer would rather not explain — you may have a claim. Damages include back pay, front pay, emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Unpaid Wages and Overtime
California wage and hour laws are among the strongest in the country. Every non-exempt employee is entitled to the state minimum wage for all hours worked, time-and-a-half for hours exceeding 8 in a day or 40 in a week, and double time for hours exceeding 12 in a day.
Wage theft takes many forms: unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, miscalculated commissions or bonuses, unauthorized deductions, unreimbursed business expenses, late or missing final paychecks, and failure to pay meal and rest break premiums. In Santa Clarita, these violations occur across the economic spectrum — from hourly workers in hospitality, retail, and food service to salaried professionals in corporate, aerospace, and healthcare settings who are improperly classified as exempt from overtime.
When you are terminated, all wages owed — including accrued vacation — must be paid on the date of termination. Every day of delay triggers waiting time penalties of one full day’s wages, up to 30 days. We recover unpaid wages going back three years, plus penalties, interest, and attorneys’ fees.
Meal and Rest Break Violations
California law requires a 30-minute duty-free meal break before the end of your fifth hour, a second meal break before the end of your tenth hour, and a paid 10-minute rest break for every four hours worked. “Duty-free” means you are completely relieved of all responsibilities and free to leave your work area.
If your employer auto-deducts meal break time without you actually taking the break, schedules your break late, interrupts it, or pressures you to work through it, you are owed one additional hour of pay per violation per day. The same applies to each missed rest break.
In Santa Clarita, break violations affect workers in healthcare (Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and medical offices where staff can’t leave the floor), manufacturing and warehousing (production lines and distribution operations that don’t stop), retail and hospitality (staffing shortages during peak times at Six Flags, restaurants, and shopping centers), and film and television production (long shooting days where breaks are compressed or eliminated).
Workplace Discrimination
The California Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age (40 and older), disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy, religion, and military or veteran status. FEHA applies to employers with five or more employees and provides broader protections than federal law.
Discrimination can manifest as unequal pay, denial of promotion, harsher discipline, unfavorable assignments, exclusion from opportunities, or termination. It does not need to be stated openly — patterns of differential treatment based on a protected characteristic are sufficient.
Santa Clarita’s workforce is approximately 43 percent White, 36 percent Hispanic, and 11 percent Asian. Discrimination can occur in any industry and at any level — national origin discrimination in service-sector positions, age discrimination targeting employees over 40 during corporate restructuring, pregnancy discrimination when accommodations are refused, or disability discrimination when an employer skips the interactive process.
FEHA damages include back pay, front pay, emotional distress, and punitive damages. There is no cap.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment in the workplace is illegal in California. It includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and verbal, physical, or visual conduct of a sexual nature that creates a hostile or intimidating work environment.
There are two recognized forms: quid pro quo harassment, where a supervisor conditions job benefits on sexual favors, and hostile work environment, where the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to alter the conditions of employment. When a supervisor is the harasser, the employer is strictly liable. When the harasser is a coworker or third party, the employer is liable if it knew or should have known and failed to act.
You do not need to report to HR before contacting an attorney. You do not need witnesses. A pattern of unwelcome conduct that a reasonable person would find hostile or offensive is sufficient. California’s Silenced No More Act (SB 331) prevents employers from using NDAs or settlement agreements to silence employees about harassment, discrimination, or retaliation.
Retaliation
California law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who exercise their legal rights. Protected activities include reporting wage violations, filing a discrimination or harassment complaint, taking medical or family leave, filing a workers’ compensation claim, refusing to participate in illegal activity, and reporting safety or regulatory violations.
Retaliation can be overt — termination — or subtle: a schedule change, reduced hours, reassignment, exclusion from meetings, sudden negative performance reviews, or a demotion disguised as restructuring. When adverse action follows a protected activity, and the employer’s stated reason doesn’t withstand scrutiny, the law provides a remedy.
Multiple California statutes prohibit retaliation, including Labor Code § 1102.5 (whistleblower), FEHA (discrimination and harassment reports), Labor Code § 98.6 (wage claims), Labor Code § 132a (workers’ comp), and CFRA/FMLA (medical leave). Damages include reinstatement, back pay, front pay, emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Exempt Misclassification
Many Santa Clarita employers — particularly in aerospace, medical devices, engineering, corporate services, and entertainment — classify employees as “exempt” from overtime. But a job title and a salary alone do not make someone exempt.
To be lawfully classified as exempt in California, an employee must earn at least $70,720 per year (the 2025 minimum) and must spend more than 50 percent of their working time performing executive, administrative, or professional duties as specifically defined by law. If your actual work is primarily operational, technical, production-oriented, or non-supervisory — regardless of your title — you may be misclassified and owed years of unpaid overtime.
This applies to project managers, team leads, production coordinators, account executives, marketing staff, lab technicians, and many other roles where the “exempt” label doesn’t match the daily reality. If you routinely work more than 8 hours a day without overtime pay, it’s worth a conversation.
Film and Entertainment Industry Protections
Santa Clarita is one of Southern California’s most active film and television production hubs. Workers on set — from production assistants and crew members to drivers and craft services — are entitled to the same wage and hour protections as workers in any other industry: overtime after 8 hours, meal and rest breaks, accurate pay stubs, and timely payment of wages.
Production schedules frequently push past 12 hours. Turnaround times between shoots are compressed. Meal breaks are delayed or shortened. These patterns create significant exposure for production companies under California law. If you work in the entertainment industry and aren’t being paid correctly for every hour — including overtime, meal penalties, and rest break premiums — you have a claim.
Seasonal and Theme Park Workers
Six Flags Magic Mountain is the largest private employer in the Santa Clarita Valley, with approximately 3,000 workers during peak season. Seasonal and part-time workers have the same legal rights as full-time employees under California law: minimum wage, overtime, meal and rest breaks, protection from discrimination and harassment, and protection from retaliation.
If you were told your seasonal status limits your rights, that’s incorrect. If breaks were denied during busy park days, if overtime wasn’t paid during extended summer hours, or if you experienced harassment or discrimination on the job, you have the same claims available to any other worker in California.
Whistleblower Protection
California Labor Code § 1102.5 protects employees who report reasonably believed violations of law to a government agency, a supervisor, or any person with authority to investigate. Your employer cannot take adverse action because you made such a report.
In Santa Clarita’s medical device, aerospace, healthcare, and corporate sectors, whistleblower claims arise when employees report regulatory noncompliance, government contract issues, patient or product safety concerns, financial irregularities, or environmental violations. The protections are strong, and the damages — reinstatement, back pay, emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees — are substantial.
Workers’ Compensation
Every employer in California must carry workers’ compensation insurance. If you are injured on the job — whether through a single incident or cumulative repetitive stress — you are entitled to medical treatment, temporary disability, permanent disability, and supplemental job displacement benefits, regardless of fault.
Your employer cannot pressure you not to file, refuse to provide a claim form, or retaliate against you for reporting an injury. Each of those actions is a separate legal violation under Labor Code § 132a.
Personal Injury
Abramson Labor Group also represents Santa Clarita residents in personal injury cases, including vehicle accidents on the I-5 and SR-14, wrongful death, slip and fall injuries, and product liability. If another party’s negligence caused your injury, you may be entitled to compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
How Our Firm Works
Free consultation. You describe what happened. We identify the legal claims, explain your rights, and tell you what your case is worth. No cost. No obligation.
Investigation. We gather pay records, personnel files, communications, witness statements, and other evidence to build a case grounded in facts and law.
Resolution. We pursue the best outcome through negotiation, mediation, or trial. We have a unanimous jury verdict in a retaliation case and are prepared to take your case as far as necessary.
Contingency only. You pay nothing unless we win. No retainer. No hourly fees. No upfront costs.
Serving Santa Clarita and the Santa Clarita Valley
Abramson Labor Group represents workers throughout Santa Clarita and the surrounding communities, including Valencia, Newhall, Saugus, Canyon Country, Stevenson Ranch, Castaic, Agua Dulce, Acton, the Centre Pointe Business Park, the Valencia Commerce Center, the Newhall Ranch area, and communities throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.
Our firm is headquartered at 1700 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506, and we represent employees in every county in California. Claims can be filed with the Labor Commissioner or directly in Los Angeles County Superior Court — North District (Lancaster or San Fernando).
Frequently Asked Questions
If you were fired and the reason doesn’t make sense, you’re not being paid correctly, you experienced discrimination or harassment, or you faced consequences after exercising a legal right, you may have a case. A free consultation is the fastest way to find out.
Wage claims go back three years. Discrimination and harassment must be filed with the Civil Rights Department within three years. Workers’ comp claims are generally one year from the date of injury. PAGA claims have a one-year deadline. The sooner you act, the stronger your position.
If you are a non-exempt employee, yes. California requires time-and-a-half after 8 hours and double time after 12 hours in a single day. Many production workers are entitled to overtime, meal break premiums, and rest break premiums that are not reflected in their pay.
Yes. California wage and hour laws, anti-discrimination protections, and all other employment laws apply equally to seasonal, part-time, and temporary workers.
Yes. California law protects you from retaliation for exercising your rights. Many of our clients contact us while still employed. Filing while employed can actually strengthen certain retaliation protections.
Nothing unless we win. We work on contingency. No retainer, no hourly rate, no costs out of pocket.
Why Santa Clarita Workers Choose Abramson Labor Group
We only represent employees. Never employers. Your interests are our sole priority.
Proven results. More than 500 five-star Google reviews. Five Super Lawyers and Rising Stars. A unanimous jury verdict. Over 35 years combined experience.
We handle the full range. Wrongful termination, wage theft, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower claims, misclassification, workers’ comp, and personal injury — under one roof.
We speak your language. We serve clients in Spanish and other languages.
Zero cost unless we win. Contingency. No retainer. No hourly rate. No risk.
Contact a Santa Clarita Employment Lawyer Today
If your rights were violated at work, the first step is a phone call. Free. Confidential. No obligation. We listen, we evaluate your claims, and we tell you honestly what your case is worth and how we can help.
Phone: (213) 493-6300 Address: 1700 W Burbank Blvd, Burbank, CA 91506 Hours: Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Website: abramsonlaborgroup.com
Free consultations. No fees unless we win. Serving Santa Clarita, the Santa Clarita Valley, and all of California.