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Your Cal Jobs Search
By Sid | July 28, 2008
So you’re thinking of moving to California. Great, I did about 4 years ago and I have never looked back! The people, the weather, and the job market here are all just fantastic. California is a great place to live and work, but there are some differences between working in California and working in other states. You’ll want to take these into account during your first california job search.
Everyone loves taxes, right? RIGHT?? No, of course not, but we still need to discuss it here. Employers in California can only deduct payroll taxes as required by law. There are a lot of things they aren’t allowed to deduct from your paycheck, either- they can’t charge you for having a picture taken or for a work uniform, they can’t deduct your gratuities from your check, and they can’t charge you for “business expenses” or physical examinations as required for work. Employers can’t charge you for “breakage”, either- they have to absorb that as part of the cost of doing business.
Minimum wage in California is also the highest in the nation, even higher than the Federal minimum wage. Minimum wage out here is $8 an hour, which is pretty good if you consider that means you can make almost $1300 a month working at a very low-skilled job. Of course, there are special stipulations for sheepherders, but since you probably aren’t a sheepherder we will gloss over those. If there is ever a conflict between the State and Federal minimum wage, the tie goes to the employee and the employer must pay the higher wage. Another interesting fact is that this law applies to servers, as well- whereas servers in other states make much less than minimum wage, based on the assumption that they will receive tips, in California they make the same minimum wage as anyone else- from $2.31 and hour to $8 an hour is quite a big step up!
Holidays in California may work differently than you’re used to, as well. There is absolutely no requirement that an employer close down on any day of the year, nor is there a requirement that a Cal employer must pay extra to employees working on holidays. Make sure that you bear this in mind when discussing your schedule with a potential employer- in California, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays are nothing special, when it comes to extra pay.
You may not be used to this next fact, either, but california jobs search are very specific about how your pay is disbursed, as well. Employees must be paid on the 26th of the month for all hours worked between the 1st and 16th of that same month, and on the 10th day of the next month for all hours worded from the 16th of the previous month through month end. Also (this was a surprise to me), when you leave a job, all outstanding wages must be paid within 72 hours of the employee giving notice/working their last shift.
The biggest difference between California and where you currently work may be that California is an “at-will employment” state. Employees are free to quit their jobs without cause, and likewise, employers are allowed to terminate their employees without cause, as well. However, anti-discrimination laws still apply- you can’t be disciplined or let go based on any of the following criteria (as defined by the California Fair Employment and Housing Act): race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, physical disability, mental disability or medical condition, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, age (as it applies to people over 40), pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. Keep all of the above in mind when starting your cal jobs search and things should go swimmingly!
Topics: The Workplace |
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