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California Attorney General Brown is clearly a friend of the wage & hour worker. When people fear for their jobs, especially in our ever-declining economy, shark like employers step up their unreasonable demands and cheat employees out of their fair compensation by misclassifying them as “independent contractors” or “exempt employees.” These are terms that must meet certain legal criteria in order to be binding as to the worker. Just because your boss says you’re an “independent contractor” or are “exempt from overtime” doesn’t make it so. Read the press release below and e-mail me at lowell@steigerlaw.com if you have any questions OR… Read More

I couldn’t resist.

Friends, I am completely saddened and outraged by the alleged text messaging by deceased Metrolink engineer Rob Sanchez moments before the crash. As you know, I have previously railed against text messaging while driving a car. The facts, of course, are not all in for the Metrolink Tragedy. If, however, it is true that Rob Sanchez was texting while driving a train with over 200 passengers on board, he was acting at the height of irresponsibility. Now you may think that I’m being overly harsh since Mr. Sanchez also paid with his own life. I know in my heart that he bore… Read More

The tragic Metrolink Train Crash of September 12, 2008 will have lasting effects on the surviving victims and the family and friends of survivors and those not lucky enough to survive. Injuries will range from broken bones to paralysis to burns to brain injuries to permanent physical and emotional and, for some, death. For the injured, it is too soon to determine the extent of their injuries. Some may be lucky enough to heal quickly while others may not be spared a lifetime of pain, rehabilitation and disfigurement. Those affected by this tragedy, victims and family, should contact an attorney… Read More

How do you feel when you see a perfectly healthy person park in the disabled parking zone? Don’t you just want to shake them and say “Hey, what are you doing? There’s an elderly lady over there who NEEDS this spot.” This issue is of particular importance to me because, as you know, I represent injured people — legitimately injured people for whom the designated disabled parking spots mean the difference between being able to be a part of the world or staying home while being alienated from the rest of society. Well, welcome to Handicapped Fraud.org. Here’s their mission statement: Handicappedfraud.org was launched as… Read More

The University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, has a common sense page on their site devoted to Ladder Safety. Click here to read the article wherein they discuss the following topics: Selection of the Appropriate Ladder Inspection of Ladder Prior to Use Proper Use of the Ladder Click Lowell Steiger’s Ladder Safety and Injuries Photo Album Video, Choosing the Right Ladder: Ladder Safety by Work Safe BC, is a video designed to highlight the important safety procedures associated with ladder use on construction sites. The video uses classic B&W comedic film footage and computer graphic simulations to illustrate safe ladder techniques. Here’s another Ladder Safety Video — graphic comedy… Read More

Is your boss a Leona Helmsley type? Hopefully not BUT, as hard as it may be to believe, some employers take advantage of, and abuse, their employees in a myriad of ways. One way is by making them sign a release that states that they have been paid all of their owed wages and/or taken all of the breaks to which they are entitled before they will agree to pay them!!! How angry does this make you? Well, apparently it got Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s attention and he has attempted to right this egregious wrong by signing AB 2075 (details below). The bill was… Read More

Wage & Hour Violations are intolerable. Employees, often at the mercy of their employers are afraid to stand up for their rights because they fear the ultimate retribution: Being Fired. However, you as employees have rights. As discussed in a previous post, Attorney Steve Waisbren and I are aggressively pursuing claims for employees who have been cheated out of overtime pay, meal breaks and other compensation by their employers. If you, or someone you know, have been a victim (or suspect you have been a victim) of Wage & Hour Abuse, please call me immediately at or send an e-mail to me… Read More

Denial of Proper Pay for Employees is Rampant THE PROBLEM –  With the economy on a persistent downturn, and the business community feeling the impact, employees are increasingly being denied proper compensation for the work they perform. This either arises because employers mistakenly believe that their employees are not entitled to compensation guaranteed by the California Labor Code or mislead their employees with respect to such entitlement. Unfortunately, most employees are unaware that they were, or are, entitled to additional compensation under California law until either well into their employment, or until after their employment has ended. California law provides employees with considerable remedies, and… Read More

The List Universe, a site to which I subscribe, e-mails its subscribers daily with top 10 (or 15) lists in a zillion categories. Since my law practice is mainly built on representing people who have suffered major injuries, or their families in the event of death, I found the The Top 10 Most Fatal Occupations to be of great interest. Clicking on each one of the occupations below and, where provided the additional links next to them, will take you to a link with more information (these links do not emanate from The List Universe but from other research). 10. Truck Drivers; OSHA (U.S. Dept.… Read More