California
Minimum wage: $16.50 · Not a right-to-work state
Overtime rules
Daily rules: 1.5x over 8 hrs/day, 2x over 12 hrs/day, 7th-day premium, plus 1.5x over 40 hrs/week
Federal law is the floor everywhere: 1.5x your regular rate for every hour past 40 in a workweek. Where state law pays more, the state rule wins.
Run the numbers for your weekLabor board contact
California Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE)
Federal option: US DOL Wage and Hour complaint · 1-866-487-9243
Union rights here
California is not a right-to-work state. Where a union contract includes a union security clause, covered workers can be required to pay dues or a fair-share fee (public-sector workers are exempt under Janus).
Private-sector organizing is governed by the National Labor Relations Act and enforced by the NLRB. Public employees (state, city, school, transit) are covered by California state law instead, which sets its own bargaining rules.
It is illegal for your employer to fire, cut hours, or threaten you for talking with coworkers about pay or organizing.
Organizing help
Minimum wage and rule details change. Confirm current figures with California Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE) before relying on them.