Wage and Hour Lawyer in Sunnyvale

If you experienced wage theft at a Sunnyvale 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 Sunnyvale

Sunnyvale 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. Sunnyvale has its own local minimum-wage ordinance. The Sunnyvale minimum wage is $19.50/hour effective January 1, 2026 - one of the highest local minimum wages in California, well above the state floor of $16.90/hour. 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.

Sunnyvale Industries Where Wage and Hour Violations Are Most Common

• Aerospace, defense, and federal-contractor workers at Lockheed Martin - at Lockheed Martin Space Systems (Sunnyvale campus - 3,362 employees per the City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 Largest Employers report; the Sunnyvale campus engineers next-generation interceptors, hypersonic systems, fleet ballistic missiles, and satellite payloads; NYSE: LMT). As a federal defense contractor, Lockheed Martin is subject to: (1) NDAA section 4712 (41 U.S.C. section 4712) whistleblower protection for federal contractor employees who report waste, fraud, abuse, or substantial violations; (2) the federal False Claims Act, including the anti-retaliation provision (31 U.S.C. section 3730(h)); (3) Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) for SEC-registered public-company employees; (4) Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6); and (5) ITAR / export-control employment restrictions. Lockheed Martin workers are also covered by FEHA, Title VII, ADA, and California Labor Code protections.
• Silicon Valley public-company tech workers - at LinkedIn (700 East Middlefield Road / 1000 West Maude Avenue - wholly-owned subsidiary of Microsoft / NASDAQ: MSFT), NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP - Sunnyvale-headquartered), Juniper Networks (NYSE: JNPR - formerly Sunnyvale-headquartered, now part of HPE), Yahoo (701 First Avenue), Meta Platforms / Facebook (3,062 + 3,017 employees per City of Sunnyvale's December 2025 report; NASDAQ: META), and Apple offices in Sunnyvale. Tech workers are covered by all standard California FEHA, Labor Code, and federal Title VII / ADA / ADEA / FMLA protections. Public-company employees are also protected by Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank section 922 (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6). Stay-or-pay agreements (training repayment, sign-on bonus clawback, relocation-cost clawback) are void for work performed in Sunnyvale after January 1, 2026 under AB 692 (California Labor Code section 926). Non-competes are void under California Business and Professions Code section 16600 (with AB 1076 and SB 699 making this rule extraterritorial as of January 1, 2024).
• Retail and consumer-services workers - at the Walmart Inc. store and distribution operations (3,232 employees per City of Sunnyvale's 2025 list - one of the largest Sunnyvale employers), the Downtown Sunnyvale / CityLine Sunnyvale redevelopment, and chain retailers along El Camino Real, Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, and Mathilda Avenue including Target, Whole Foods, and many fast-food and restaurant chains. Sunnyvale workers covered by the Sunnyvale Minimum Wage Ordinance earn $19.50/hour effective January 1, 2026 - one of the highest in California. Fast-food workers at chains with 60+ national locations earn the $20.00/hour AB 1228 floor (Cal. Labor Code section 1474).
• Healthcare workers - at the El Camino Hospital Mountain View and Los Gatos campuses (serving Sunnyvale residents - one of the largest community hospital systems in the Bay Area), Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center, and private clinics throughout the city. Covered by SB 525 healthcare worker minimum-wage schedule (Cal. 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 California Nurses Association (CNA) / SEIU-UHW collective bargaining agreements.
• Education and government workers - at the Sunnyvale School District (K-8), the Fremont Union High School District / FUHSD (9-12 - operates Sunnyvale's Homestead High, Fremont High, Cupertino High, Lynbrook High, and Monta Vista High), and the Foothill-De Anza Community College District (Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, De Anza College in Cupertino - both serve Sunnyvale residents). The City of Sunnyvale (456 W. Olive Avenue) is a charter city. The Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety is one of the few combined police-fire-paramedic departments in California; cross-trained public safety officers are covered by the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights (POBR, Cal. Gov. Code section 3300 et seq.). Subject to the 6-month Government Claims Act deadline (Cal. Gov. Code section 911.2).
• Manufacturing and biotech workers - at the numerous semiconductor and electronics manufacturers throughout Sunnyvale. Manufacturing workers are covered by Cal/OSHA standards (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 8) and California Labor Code section 6310 (retaliation for safety reporting). Federal contractor workers have additional NDAA section 4712 whistleblower protection (41 U.S.C. section 4712). Public-company manufacturing employees also have Sarbanes-Oxley (18 U.S.C. section 1514A) and Dodd-Frank (15 U.S.C. section 78u-6) protection.

Sunnyvale Local Protections

Sunnyvale has its own local minimum-wage ordinance. The Sunnyvale minimum wage is $19.50/hour effective January 1, 2026 - one of the highest local minimum wages in California, well above the state floor of $16.90/hour. The Sunnyvale rate is adjusted each year based on regional CPI. Sunnyvale is a charter city (incorporated December 1912). Sunnyvale workers also rely on California state law including SB 525 (healthcare-worker tiered schedule) and AB 1228 ($20/hour fast-food).

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 Sunnyvale

Wage claims can be filed with the California Labor Commissioner (DLSE San Jose Office, 224 Airport Parkway, Suite 300, San Jose, CA 95110, (408) 277-1266). Civil suits are heard at the Santa Clara County Superior Court, Hall of Justice, 190-200 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95110. Call us at 1-800-371-3088 before any deadline.