Bakersfield, California Employment Lawyer Resources

Kern County's economy runs on oil, agriculture, logistics, and healthcare, industries where California's most protective labor laws collide head-on with some of the state's most entrenched wage-and-hour violations. Unpaid overtime on ag crews, missed meal and rest breaks at oilfield service yards off Rosedale Highway, misclassification of truck drivers as independent contractors, and "off the clock" work at Bakersfield warehouses are issues we see again and again. California employment law is arguably the most pro-worker statutory scheme in the country, and Bakersfield workers are entitled to every protection that law provides.

California Labor Code section 510 governs daily and weekly overtime, section 226.7 governs meal and rest breaks, and the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) allows employees to step into the shoes of the state and recover civil penalties for Labor Code violations on behalf of themselves and fellow workers. On top of that, the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation based on race, national origin, gender, disability, age, pregnancy, and other protected categories. FEHA is enforced through the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), and the standards for employer liability are meaningfully stronger than federal Title VII.

I am George Goldberg, founding partner of Goldberg & Loren. In more than 32 years and 20,000+ cases, my firm has taken on agricultural employers, national retailers, oilfield service companies, and logistics operations on behalf of workers who were shorted wages, fired for complaining, or harassed on the job. I started on the defense side in 1994 and switched to representing workers and injury victims in 1996, which means I understand exactly how large Bakersfield-area employers and their defense firms evaluate and defend these cases.

Below you will find our employment-law articles most relevant to Bakersfield workers, and answers to the questions we hear most often. If you suspect your employer has violated California labor law — whether it is unpaid overtime, a wrongful termination, harassment, or retaliation — call Goldberg & Loren at 1-888-352-9243 for a free and confidential case evaluation.