Ontario Employment Lawyer

Why Ontario Workers Need a Lawyer Who Knows the Local Industries

Ontario is one of the most important logistics, aviation, and retail hubs in California. The 2020 census population was 175,265. The city was incorporated on December 10, 1891. City Hall is at 303 East B Street, Ontario, CA 91764, (909) 395-2000. The Ontario workforce centers on three anchors. First, Ontario International Airport (ONT) at 2900 East Airport Drive, Ontario, CA 91761 - one of the fastest-growing airports in Southern California and the largest employer in Ontario - supports more than 30,000 jobs across passenger and cargo operations, including major air-cargo operations by UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Air. ONT is owned and operated by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), a joint-powers authority created in 2012 after Los Angeles World Airports transferred ownership back to Ontario. Second, the Ontario Mills super-regional outlet mall at 1 Mills Circle, Ontario, CA 91764 - the only indoor outlet shopping destination in Southern California - draws 28 million annual visitors and employs thousands of retail and food-service workers across hundreds of stores including the AMC 30 Theatres. Third, Ontario sits at the I-10 / I-15 interchange and is one of the largest Inland Empire warehouse and distribution hubs, with major facilities by UPS, Uline, Amazon, Costco, and dozens of third-party logistics companies. The healthcare sector is anchored by the Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) Ontario Vineyard Medical Offices. None of these protections matter if you do not assert them on time. Public-employer claims (City of Ontario, OIAA, Ontario-Montclair School District, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, San Bernardino County) carry a strict 6-month government-claim deadline under Cal. Government Code section 911.2. We file the claim, take it through the agency or court, and recover what you are owed. No fee unless we win.

Ontario Industries Where Employment Violations Are Common

Ontario employment cases tend to cluster in six industry concentrations. Each carries its own legal framework and its own recurring fact patterns.

Aviation, airport operations, and air cargo

Ontario International Airport (ONT) at 2900 East Airport Drive supports more than 30,000 jobs - making it the largest single employment center in Ontario. ONT is owned and operated by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), a joint-powers authority of the City of Ontario and the County of San Bernardino. Direct OIAA employees are public-sector workers covered by the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2). The airport also hosts major air-cargo operations by UPS, FedEx, and Amazon Air, plus passenger airlines (Southwest, Delta, American, United, Frontier, Spirit, Alaska, China Airlines). Airline workers are covered by the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. section 151 et seq.) for collective bargaining and the federal AIR21 whistleblower statute (49 U.S.C. section 42121) for safety reporting. Ground-handling and ramp workers are typically W-2 employees of contractors (Menzies, Worldwide Flight Services, etc.) covered by California Labor Code and FEHA.

Warehouse, logistics, and distribution

Ontario sits at the I-10 / I-15 interchange and is one of the largest warehouse and distribution markets in the Inland Empire. Major employers identified in the City's "Ontario Thinks Business" booklet include UPS, Uline, Inc., United Parcel Service, and dozens of third-party logistics companies. Warehouse workers in Ontario are covered by California's Warehouse Quotas Act, AB 701 (California Labor Code sections 2100-2112), which requires written quota disclosure, prohibits quotas that interfere with meal, rest, or bathroom use, and provides a private right of action. Client-employer liability under California Labor Code section 2810.3 makes brand-name retailers and logistics companies jointly responsible for staffing-agency and subcontractor wage violations. Truck drivers are covered by federal STAA whistleblower protection (49 U.S.C. section 31105).

Retail and consumer services

The Ontario Mills super-regional outlet mall at 1 Mills Circle - 28 million annual visitors, the only indoor outlet shopping destination in Southern California, owned by Simon Property Group - is one of the largest retail employment centers in the Inland Empire, with hundreds of stores including AMC 30 Theatres. Citizens Business Bank Arena (now Toyota Arena) and the Ontario Convention Center (2000 East Convention Center Way) add hospitality, food-service, and event-staff jobs. Common claims: wage and hour (off-the-clock and rounding violations under California Labor Code sections 226.7, 510, 512), commission disputes (Labor Code section 2751), and sexual harassment under FEHA Cal. Government Code section 12940(j). Fast-food workers at chains with 60 or more national locations earn the $20.00/hour state fast-food minimum wage under AB 1228 (California Labor Code section 1474).

Healthcare

The Southern California Permanente Medical Group (SCPMG) operates major medical offices in Ontario, and Kaiser Permanente members in Ontario are typically referred to the Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center or the Kaiser Permanente Ontario Vineyard Medical Center. Other healthcare employers in the Ontario area include private clinics, urgent-care centers, and skilled-nursing facilities. Healthcare workers are covered by SB 525 (California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) tiered healthcare-worker minimum-wage schedule and California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation).

Education

The Ontario-Montclair School District / OMSD serves K-8 students across Ontario and Montclair. The Chaffey Joint Union High School District / CJUHSD at 211 West Fifth Street, Ontario, CA 91762, (909) 988-8511 serves grades 9-12 across Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and portions of Fontana, Upland, Chino, and Mount Baldy. CJUHSD has approximately 2,015 staff. Public-school workers have pre-deprivation due-process rights under Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194 and California Whistleblower Protection Act coverage under Cal. Government Code section 8547.

Government and public sector

The City of Ontario at 303 East B Street is a major employer along with the Ontario Police Department (Ontario operates its own police department) and the Ontario Fire Department. Peace officers are covered by the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR), Cal. Government Code section 3300 et seq. Public-sector workers' parallel tort claims are subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline under Cal. Government Code section 911.2.

Ontario Worker Protections

The City of Ontario follows California state law for minimum wage, paid sick leave, and worker protections. Ontario has no separate citywide minimum-wage, hotel-worker, fair-workweek, healthcare-worker, or paid-sick-leave ordinance beyond California state law. Ontario 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), and AB 701 (warehouse quotas - directly relevant to Ontario's massive I-10 / I-15 warehouse corridor and ONT air-cargo operations).

• California minimum wage (2026) - $16.90/hour for most employers, effective January 1, 2026 (California Labor Code section 1182.12).
• Fast-food minimum wage - $20.00/hour for covered fast-food restaurant employees at chains with 60 or more national locations, effective April 1, 2024 (AB 1228, California Labor Code section 1474 et seq.).
• Healthcare worker minimum wage - SB 525 (California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16). SB 525 controls statewide and field-preempts new local healthcare-worker minimum-wage ordinances through 2034.
• Warehouse Quotas Act - AB 701 (California Labor Code sections 2100-2112). Directly relevant to UPS, Uline, Amazon Air, FedEx, and warehouse workers across Ontario.
• California Paid Sick Leave - California Labor Code sections 245-249.
• Exempt salary floor (2026) - $70,304/year (twice the state minimum wage at $16.90/hour).
• Cal-WARN Act - California Labor Code sections 1400 et seq.
• Public-employer government-claim deadline - Cal. Government Code section 911.2. Claims against the City of Ontario, OIAA, OMSD, CJUHSD, or San Bernardino County must be presented in writing within 6 months.
• Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR) - Cal. Government Code section 3300 et seq. Directly relevant to Ontario Police Department officers.
• AIR21 whistleblower protection - 49 U.S.C. section 42121. Directly relevant to airline, ground-handling, and air-cargo workers at ONT.
• Railway Labor Act - 45 U.S.C. section 151 et seq. Governs collective bargaining for airline workers at ONT.

California Law That Applies in Ontario

Most Ontario employment cases are decided under California state law.

• FEHA, Cal. Government Code section 12940 et seq.
• Overtime and breaks, California Labor Code sections 510, 226.7, 512.
• Wage statements and waiting-time penalties, California Labor Code sections 226 and 203.
• Whistleblower retaliation, California Labor Code section 1102.5. SB 497 (effective January 1, 2024) added a 90-day rebuttable presumption.
• Wrongful termination in violation of public policy - Tameny v. Atlantic Richfield Co. (1980) 27 Cal.3d 167.
• Hostile work environment - Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158.
• California Equal Pay Act, California Labor Code section 1197.5.
• Lactation accommodation, California Labor Code sections 1030-1034 and the federal PUMP Act, 29 U.S.C. section 218d.
• California WARN Act, California Labor Code sections 1400 et seq.
• Independent-contractor classification, California Labor Code section 2775. ABC test from Dynamex codified by AB 5 / AB 2257.
• Client-employer liability, California Labor Code section 2810.3. Highly relevant to Ontario warehouse and logistics workers employed through staffing agencies.
• Warehouse Quotas Act, California Labor Code sections 2100-2112 (AB 701).
• Healthcare worker minimum wage, California Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16 (SB 525).
• Fast-food restaurant minimum wage, California Labor Code section 1474 (AB 1228).
• Non-competes void, California Business and Professions Code section 16600.
• Stay-or-pay clauses void, California Labor Code section 926 (AB 692). Effective January 1, 2026.
• Silenced No More Act, California Code of Civil Procedure section 1001 and Cal. Government Code section 12964.5 (SB 331).
• Hospital-worker whistleblower, California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5.
• Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR), Cal. Government Code section 3300 et seq.
• PAGA, California Labor Code sections 2698 et seq.
• Government-claim deadline, Cal. Government Code section 911.2.

The 2026 exempt-salary threshold is $70,304 per year (twice the state minimum wage at $16.90/hour, per DIR News 2025-118). An Ontario worker paid less than that, no matter what title is on the door, is almost certainly a non-exempt employee entitled to overtime and meal/rest premiums.

How to File a Claim in Ontario

Where and how you file depends on the kind of claim and who the employer is. Call us before any deadline at 1-800-371-3088.

Court

Civil employment lawsuits filed by Ontario workers are heard at the San Bernardino County Superior Court, San Bernardino Justice Center, 247 West Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92415 (35 courtrooms, opened 2014). Federal claims are heard at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Eastern Division, George E. Brown Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 3470 12th Street, Riverside, CA 92501.

State and federal agencies

• CRD Los Angeles Office - 320 W. 4th Street, Suite 1000, 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90013. Statewide intake (800) 884-1684.
• EEOC Los Angeles District Office (San Bernardino County jurisdiction) - Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple Street, 4th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
• California Labor Commissioner (DLSE) San Bernardino Office - 464 West 4th Street, Suite 348, San Bernardino, CA 92401.
• Cal/OSHA - (833) 579-0927.
• City of Ontario - 303 East B Street, Ontario, CA 91764, (909) 395-2000.

Deadlines that matter most

• 6-month government-claim deadline - Cal. Government Code section 911.2.
• 1-year right-to-sue deadline - Cal. Government Code section 12965.
• 300-day EEOC charge deadline.
• 3-year wage-claim statute; extendable to 4 under Bus. & Prof. Code section 17200.

Why Ontario Workers Choose Eghbali Law Firm

• Employees only

  We never represent employers. Every resource goes toward winning your case.

• No fee unless we win

  You pay nothing unless we recover for you. No upfront costs. No hidden fees.

• Free confidential consultation

  No cost to speak with us. Everything you share is protected by attorney-client privilege.

• Statewide California practice

  We serve workers across all of California regardless of where you live or work.

• Phone or video, no office visit needed

  Most consultations happen by phone or video. You only attend if your testimony is required.

• Multilingual staff available

  We serve clients in multiple languages. Contact us to discuss your case in your preferred language.