Pimentel Law specializes in the area of employment law and is highly knowledgeable about workplace legal issues. Nearly everyone has been an employee at some point in their lives, so most people have a general understanding of labor laws. However, because many areas of labor law can be tricky and nuanced, even employees who have a good understanding of labor law can unknowingly have their employment rights trampled on by their employer. Pimentel Law is highly specialized in all facets of labor law, including the area of unreimbursed work expenses.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS ON THE JOB
Most people have had their labor law rights violated or know someone who has. Sometimes these violations happen because the employer is unscrupulous and other times it happens because the employer simply doesn’t know the law. Whether intentional or not, all employers are expected to comply with our labor laws. However, if you don’t know your rights, you can’t enforce them. One labor law that every employee should be aware of is Labor Code § 2802, which requires employers to reimburse employees for all necessary work-related expenses or losses incurred by the employee.
Common work expenses that employers illegally force their employees to pay are:
- Work-related travel expenses, such as airfare, car mileage, and lodging
- Depreciation of equipment such as computers or cellphones used for work
- Hand tools customarily required for a trade or craft
- Work clothes and uniforms (if you must wear a uniform you do not wear outside of work)
In addition, California has regulations in place regarding unreimbursed work expenses that apply specifically to employees who supply their own tools. According to Title 8, § 11040 9 (B) of the California Code of Regulations, “when tools or equipment are required by the employer or are necessary to the performance of a job, such tools and equipment shall be provided and maintained by the employer, except that an employee whose wages are at least two (2) times the minimum wage provided herein may be required to provide and maintain hand tools and equipment customarily required by the trade or craft.” The reason for these unreimbursed employee business expense laws is to prevent employers from passing on their operating costs to employees who aren’t paid a high enough wage by the employer to afford such tools. Pimentel Law is one of the pioneers and foremost experts in the State of California in this specialized area of law and has been representing employees, including mechanics, technicians, and maintenance persons in suits to recover their unreimbursed work expenses for years.
Through many years of experience handling unreimbursed employee business expenses cases for mechanics, technicians, and maintenance persons, Pimentel Law has developed an in-depth understanding of these occupations, including tendencies and business practices of the employers, as well as customs of these industries. This specialized knowledge of these occupations and industries gives our firm a competitive advantage over defense lawyers defending these employers, who do not fully understand the industry or occupations. As a result of these advantages, we have been successful in obtaining significant financial compensation for our clients. You can read their testimonials here.
CONTACT PIMENTEL LAW TODAY
We are experts in unreimbursed business expense cases and we have the case results to prove it. If you want an expert to handle your unreimbursed work expenses case, contact Pimentel Law online to learn your legal rights or call us now at (877) 265-8084.
Schedule a free case evaluation, contact us today.
