Compiled by Amanda Lee

• In California, minors (anyone under 18) must give their employers a work permit before starting work. Employers can get fined if the State finds out they hired a minor without a work permit.
• You cannot be fired or punished for making a complaint with the state labor commissioner, making a claim for workers’ compensation benefits or filing a grievance about unsafe working conditions.
• For each minute you are late, your employer can deduct the equivalent amount of pay in dollars from your wages.
• Minors under 15 cannot work as an employee without a work permit.
• Regarding federal versus state labor laws, the more severe law is the law you should obey.
• Students who are 16 and 17 can work a daily maximum of 4 hours, Monday through Thursday.
• As of 2017, Palo Alto’s minimum wage is $12 an hour and California’s minimum wage is $10.50 an hour.
• If you are fired or laid off, your employer must pay all of the remaining wages owed to you.
• Students need to be at least 14 to take on most jobs.
• Employers are required to give you a 30 minutes break every five hours of work and at least 10 minutes of break time for every four hours worked.