Wage and Hour Lawyer in Glendale

Glendale wage-and-hour disputes are dominated by restaurant-chain franchisee networks (IHOP, Applebee's, and other Dine Brands properties), healthcare overtime miscalculation, and tech-sector exempt-misclassification claims. California's PAGA reform (effective June 19, 2024) raised the aggrieved-employee share of penalties from 25% to 35%. Call us at 1-800-371-3088.

What Are Wage and Hour Claims in Glendale

Glendale 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. Glendale 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.

Glendale Industries Where Wage and Hour Violations Are Most Common

• Animation, creative, and Walt Disney Imagineering workers - at Walt Disney Imagineering headquarters (1401 Flower Street, Glendale - founded December 16, 1952 by Walt Disney to oversee Disneyland Park; the creative force behind all Disney theme-park experiences) and DreamWorks Animation (~2,200 Glendale employees, 1000 Flower Street; a NBCUniversal/Comcast subsidiary). Creative workers may be covered by The Animation Guild (TAG / IATSE Local 839) collective bargaining agreement, SAG-AFTRA, WGA, DGA, or IATSE Local 839 agreements. Public-company employees of NBCUniversal/Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) parent are protected by Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A), Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6), the Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. section 1836), the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Cal. Civil Code section 3426 et seq.), and California Bus. & Prof. Code section 16600 (no non-competes).
• Healthcare workers at Adventist Health Glendale - at Adventist Health Glendale (1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, CA 91206 - 515-bed tertiary care hospital, founded 1905; one of the city's oldest businesses; legal name Glendale Sanitarium and Hospital dba Adventist Health Glendale; affiliated with Seventh-day Adventist; approximately 1,800 staff per local economic development data). Also Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital. Covered by SB 525 healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16), California Health & Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation), and CNA / SEIU-UHW / NUHW collective bargaining agreements.
• Corporate office workers at Glendale's 6+ million square feet of office space - at Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY, global materials science HQ in Glendale), LegalZoom, Dine Brands Global (IHOP/Applebee's parent, NYSE: DIN, Glendale HQ), Public Storage (NYSE: PSA, Glendale HQ), ServiceTitan, and other Class A corporate tenants. Public-company employees have specific protections under Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A), Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6), the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act, and California's non-compete prohibition (Bus. & Prof. Code section 16600).
• K-12 education workers at Glendale Unified School District (GUSD) - at the Glendale Unified School District. Covered by California Education Code sections 44930-44987 (permanent-employee dismissal protections), the Educational Employment Relations Act (EERA / Cal. Gov. Code sections 3540-3549.3), Cal. Education Code section 44113 (school-employee whistleblower protections), and CTA-affiliated collective bargaining agreements. PEPRA and the 6-month government-claim deadline apply.
• City of Glendale and Glendale Water and Power workers - at the City of Glendale (charter city), the Glendale Police Department, the Glendale Fire Department, and Glendale Water and Power (GWP) - the city's municipally-owned electric and water utility (one of only a handful of California cities to operate its own electric utility). GWP utility workers may have Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 (42 U.S.C. section 5851) whistleblower protections for energy-safety reporting. Police covered by POBR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.); firefighters by FBOR (Cal. Gov. Code section 3250 et seq.); all public employees by PEPRA, MMBA, and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail workers at Americana at Brand and Glendale Galleria - at the Americana at Brand (Caruso's mixed-use shopping center) and the adjacent Glendale Galleria - one of the largest shopping districts in the Los Angeles region. Retail workers covered by IWC Wage Order 7 (mercantile industry). Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Glendale Local Protections

Glendale has no separate citywide minimum-wage, hotel-worker, fair-workweek, or paid-sick-leave ordinance beyond California state law. Glendale is a charter city. Glendale workers rely on the state-level minimum-wage floor (Cal. 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 Adventist Health Glendale workers), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas). Glendale operates its own municipal electric utility (Glendale Water and Power), so GWP utility workers may have Energy Reorganization Act section 5851 whistleblower protections.

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 Glendale

Wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE Van Nuys Office, 6150 Van Nuys Boulevard, Room 100, Van Nuys, CA 91401). Civil suits are heard at the Los Angeles County Superior Court - Glendale Courthouse, 600 East Broadway, Glendale, CA 91206 (North Central District; the Burbank Courthouse at 300 East Olive Avenue also serves the area). Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.