Wage Hour Lawyer in Corona

If you experienced wage theft at a Corona workplace, you have strong protections under California law. We represent employees only, never employers, and offer a free, confidential consultation. 1-800-371-3088.

What Are Wage and Hour Claims in Corona

Corona workers are entitled to the highest of: federal minimum wage ($7.25/hour), California state minimum wage ($16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026 under California Labor Code section 1182.12), or any applicable local minimum wage. Corona has no separate citywide minimum-wage ordinance; the California state minimum wage of $16.90/hour applies. Fast-food workers at chains with 60 or more national locations earn at least $20.00/hour under AB 1228 (California Labor Code section 1474) since April 1, 2024. Healthcare workers at covered facilities earn tiered rates under SB 525 (California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) reaching $25/hour at large hospital systems on July 1, 2026.

Corona Industries Where Wage and Hour Violations Are Most Common

• Manufacturing and corporate-headquarters workers - at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation / FMIC (311 Cessna Circle, Corona - U.S. flagship factory and headquarters since 1985; Fender was founded by Leo Fender in 1946 and produces Stratocaster and Telecaster guitars plus Precision and Jazz basses) and Monster Beverage Corporation (1 Monster Way, Corona - global Monster Energy headquarters, NASDAQ: MNST, 5,001-10,000 employees, $8.8B revenue). Common claims: exempt-misclassification (Labor Code section 515), commission and equity-compensation disputes (Labor Code section 2751), Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for Monster Beverage employees, California Labor Code section 925 choice-of-law/venue protection, Cal/OSHA retaliation (Labor Code section 6310), and Cal-WARN mass-layoff notice (Labor Code sections 1400-1408).
• Warehouse, logistics, and distribution workers - along I-15 (Corona Freeway), SR-91 (Riverside Freeway), and the I-15/I-91 interchange - a major Inland Empire logistics node. Covered by California's Warehouse Quotas Act, AB 701 (California Labor Code sections 2100-2112), client-employer liability under Labor Code section 2810.3, and piece-rate compensation under Labor Code section 226.2.
• Healthcare workers - at Corona Regional Medical Center (800 South Main Street - 259-bed community hospital network with 160-bed acute care + 78-bed rehabilitation; 638 employees per LinkedIn, ~347 affiliated physicians across more than 40 specialties; part of Universal Health Services / NYSE: UHS / Southwest Healthcare). Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation), and Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for UHS public-company employees.
• Education workers - at Corona-Norco Unified School District / CNUSD (2820 Clark Avenue, Norco - one of the largest school districts in Riverside County, serving Corona and Norco; (951) 736-5000) and Norco College (Riverside Community College District / RCCD, with district office at 3801 Market Street in Riverside). Protected by Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 due-process rights and California Whistleblower Protection Act, Cal. Government Code section 8547.
• Federal civilian workers (NSWC Corona Division) - at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Corona Division (1999 Fourth Street, Norco - 1,800 civilian personnel; NSWC Corona has served as the U.S. Navy's independent assessment agent since 1964 and is part of Naval Sea Systems Command / NAVSEA). NSWC Corona civilian employees have rights under the Civil Service Reform Act, Title 5 / Merit Systems Protection Board, the federal Whistleblower Protection Act (5 U.S.C. section 2302), the Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection Act (10 U.S.C. section 2409), and the Procurement Integrity Act (41 U.S.C. section 2102).
• Public-sector and retail workers - at the City of Corona (400 South Vicentia Avenue), Corona Police Department (covered by POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), and at retail and restaurant employers throughout Corona. Fast-food workers at chains with 60 or more national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (California Labor Code section 1474).

Corona Local Protections

Corona has no separate citywide minimum-wage, hotel-worker, fair-workweek, healthcare-worker, or paid-sick-leave ordinance beyond California state law. Corona workers rely on the state-level floor under California Labor Code section 1182.12 ($16.90/hour effective January 1, 2026) plus industry-specific state rules including AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food), SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule - directly relevant to Corona Regional Medical Center workers), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas). NSWC Corona civilian employees have additional federal protections under the Civil Service Reform Act, federal Whistleblower Protection Act, Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection Act, and Procurement Integrity Act.

California Paid Sick Leave (Labor Code sections 245-249) requires at least 40 hours (5 days) of paid sick leave per year, effective January 1, 2024. The 2026 exempt-salary floor is $70,304/year (twice the state minimum wage, per DIR News 2025-118).

California Law

For the full California wage-and-hour framework, including overtime (Labor Code section 510), meal and rest breaks (sections 512 and 226.7), wage statements (section 226), waiting-time penalties (section 203), expense reimbursement (section 2802), and PAGA (sections 2698 et seq.), see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

Unpaid wages, overtime, missed meal/rest premiums (one hour of pay per missed break), wage-statement penalties (up to $4,000 per employee under Labor Code section 226(e)), waiting-time penalties (up to 30 days of pay under Labor Code section 203), interest, liquidated damages on minimum-wage shortfalls, and attorneys' fees and costs (Labor Code section 1194). For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Wage Claim in Corona

Wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Riverside Office, 3737 Main Street, Suite 300, Riverside, CA 92501). Civil suits are heard at the Riverside County Superior Court, Corona Courthouse, 505 S. Buena Vista Avenue, #201, Corona, CA 92882. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.