Workplace Harassment Lawyer in Richmond

If you experienced workplace harassment at a Richmond 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 Is Workplace Harassment in Richmond

FEHA prohibits harassment in any Richmond workplace based on any protected category - race, religion, disability, age (40+), national origin, ancestry, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, reproductive-health decision-making, and more (Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)). Under Cal. Government Code section 12940(j)(4), the harassment provisions apply to employers with one or more employees, much broader than the 5-employee threshold for discrimination claims. To prove a hostile-work-environment claim under Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158, you must show conduct that was based on a protected category, unwelcome, and either severe or pervasive enough to alter your working conditions. A single severe incident can satisfy the standard.

Richmond Industries Where Harassment Claims Are Most Common

• Petroleum refinery workers at Chevron Richmond Refinery - at the Chevron Richmond Refinery (NYSE: CVX - Chevron's flagship West Coast refinery; the #1 largest employer and taxpayer in the City of Richmond per Chevron-commissioned reports indicating the refinery supports 3,800+ jobs and supplies 60% of the jet fuel for major Bay Area airports; the average Richmond-based Chevron employee compensation is $153,000 / 56% higher than the regional average). The catastrophic August 6, 2012 Chevron Richmond Refinery explosion and fire (which sent 15,000 residents to seek medical attention) prompted significant litigation and a U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigation. Petroleum-refinery workers are covered by: (1) Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, section 5189); (2) California Labor Code section 6310 retaliation protection for safety reporting; (3) federal OSH Act section 11(c) (29 U.S.C. section 660); (4) the federal Clean Air Act whistleblower statute (42 U.S.C. section 7622); (5) Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6) for SEC-registered Chevron Corporation employees; and (6) federal energy-pipeline whistleblower protection. Many refinery workers are represented by the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 5; collective bargaining does not waive statutory FEHA or California Labor Code rights.
• Port, maritime, and rail workers - at the Port of Richmond (one of the largest ports in California by tonnage, handling petroleum, vehicles, and bulk commodities) and BNSF Railway / Union Pacific Railroad operations through Richmond. Longshore workers are covered by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Pacific Coast Master Contract and the federal Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act / LHWCA (33 U.S.C. section 901 et seq.). Rail workers are covered by the Federal Railroad Safety Act / FRSA (49 U.S.C. section 20109) whistleblower protection (OSHA-administered), the Federal Employers Liability Act / FELA (45 U.S.C. section 51 et seq.), and the Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. section 151 et seq.).
• K-12 education workers - at the West Contra Costa Unified School District / WCCUSD (1108 Bissell Avenue, Richmond, CA 94801, (510) 231-1100 - established 1965, serves ~28,000 K-12 students across Richmond, San Pablo, Pinole, Hercules, and El Cerrito). Public-school workers have pre-deprivation due-process rights under Skelly v. State Personnel Board (1975) 15 Cal.3d 194, California Whistleblower Protection Act (Cal. Gov. Code section 8547), and the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Healthcare and research workers - at the Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center (901 Nevin Avenue - the principal Richmond hospital) and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory / LBNL Richmond Field Station (1301 South 46th Street - operated by the Regents of the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy). Healthcare workers are covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. Labor Code sections 1182.14, 1182.15, 1182.16) and California Health and Safety Code section 1278.5 ($25,000-per-violation civil penalty for patient-safety retaliation). LBNL employees have federal whistleblower protection under the Energy Reorganization Act (42 U.S.C. section 5851) and federal False Claims Act protection (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)).
• Government and public-sector workers - at the City of Richmond (450 Civic Center Plaza - charter city, incorporated 1905), the Richmond Police Department (RPD officers subject to POBR / Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.), the Richmond Fire Department, and Contra Costa County (the county seat is in adjacent Martinez). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline.
• Retail, restaurant, and casino workers - at chain retailers along Macdonald Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and the Hilltop area (the Hilltop Mall closed in 2024 for redevelopment) and at Casino San Pablo in adjacent San Pablo (operated by the San Pablo Lytton Casino tribal enterprise - which employs many Richmond residents). Richmond workers covered by the Richmond Minimum Wage Ordinance earn $19.18/hour effective January 1, 2026. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).

Richmond Local Protections

Richmond has its own local minimum-wage ordinance. The Richmond minimum wage is $19.18/hour effective January 1, 2026 - higher than the California state floor of $16.90/hour. Richmond is a charter city (incorporated 1905). Richmond workers also rely on California state law including SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule), AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food), and California-specific Cal/OSHA Process Safety Management standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8, section 5189) directly relevant to Chevron Richmond Refinery workers.

California requires harassment-prevention training for all employees of companies with 5+ workers (Cal. Government Code section 12950.1).

California Law

Individual supervisors can be personally liable for FEHA harassment under Reno v. Baird (1998) 18 Cal.4th 640 (supervisors are not personally liable for discrimination, but they are for harassment). For the full California harassment framework, see our California employment law page.

What Compensation Can You Recover

California does not cap FEHA harassment damages. You may recover back pay, front pay, emotional-distress damages, punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and costs (Cal. Government Code section 12965(c)). SB 331 (Silenced No More Act) means severance agreements cannot bar you from discussing the harassment publicly. For details, see our California employment law page.

How to File a Workplace Harassment Claim in Richmond

State FEHA charges go to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), Oakland Office, 1515 Clay Street, Suite 701, Oakland, CA 94612. Federal Title VII charges go to the EEOC San Francisco District Office (Contra Costa County jurisdiction), 450 Golden Gate Avenue, 5 West, San Francisco, CA 94102. Civil suits are heard at the Contra Costa County Superior Court, Wakefield Taylor Courthouse, 725 Court Street, Martinez, CA 94553. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.