# Anyone know California labor law?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 23, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312 "2001-09-23T06:29:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312/1 "2001-09-23T06:29:55Z")

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Specifically, overtime and the difference between exempt and non-exempt employees.

Here’s the situation. I got an e-mail from my manager(it was sent to my workgroup) stating that our group was supposed to put our OT hours as straight time because we were exempt. I thought the law was that if you worked over 40 hours in a week, it was OT by California law. I am not a temp worker, nor am I salaried. I am a wage slave.

So, what is the definition of ‘exempt’ and how would that get them around the ‘over 40 hours is time and a half’ rule?

please help.

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312/2 "2001-09-23T06:44:36Z")

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[http://www.dir.ca.gov/IWC/ab60.html](http://www.dir.ca.gov/IWC/ab60.html)

CALIFORNIA LABOR CODE  
[http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/lab\_table\_of\_contents.html](http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/.html/lab_table_of_contents.html)

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312/3 "2001-09-23T06:48:23Z")

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Oh… and although you receiving an hourly wage are you and your co-workers working under “independent contractor” agreements or not? This can sometimes make make all the difference.

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**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312/4 "2001-09-23T10:03:02Z")

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We are not independent contractors. We are permanent employees with benefits.

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**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-california-labor-law/83312/5 "2001-09-23T15:06:46Z")

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A lot of stores in California have in the backroom, the California Labor Law posted on the wall. It’s a big poster.