# Sue For Illegal Warehouse Quotas Missed Meal Rest Breaks > Warehouse quotas that cause work injuries, inability to get rest and meal breaks lead to lawsuits by employees Source: https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/warehouse-quota-law/ Firm: Employment Lawyers Group — employee-side employment lawyers since 1993. Serving Riverside County, California. Phone: (951) 367-1000 (calling is the fastest way to reach the legal team) Office: 9496 Magnolia Ave, #208, Riverside, CA 92503 Contact form: https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/contact/ Consultations are free and confidential; cases are taken on contingency. --- In California, there are rules pertaining to warehouse quotas if the employer directly or indirectly employs 100 or more employees at a single warehouse distribution center, or more than 1,000 employees at one or more warehouse distribution centers in California. Indirectly employing means temporary agencies and the companies using the warehouse workers from the temporary agencies cannot get out of this law. Farm warehouses and storage are not part of this law. Thus, not every warehouse employer is covered by this law. The source of this law starts in California Labor Code Section 2100. CALL [(951) 367-1000](tel:9513671000) IF YOU WERE FIRED FOR COMPLAINING ABOUT A QUOTA The warehouse quota law applies to both persons moving materials and boxes by hand, pallet, forklift and also those on a conveyor belt type operations. The quotas legislated by this law relate to specific numbers of packages, boxes, or pallets that must be processed or moved in a certain amount of time including on a conveyor belt. Broad quotas such as all items in x area must be cleared, or all items from the conveyor belt must be cleared in x amount of time may implicate the protections of this law. The quotas at issue, in this law, are quotas for which failing to meet would result in an adverse consequence to the employee. Adverse consequences include writeups, discipline of any kind, job terminations, and most likely include the failure to earn a certain amount of pay. However, that is tricky question you should consult an experienced employee lawyer on. If the employer’s quota makes it impossible to take a 10 minute rest break before and after an uninterrupted 30 minute [meal break](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-meal-break-lawyer/), the quota has caused a violation of rest break laws. Similarly, if the quota prevents an uninterrupted 30 minute meal break the quota has caused a meal break penalty. Preventing an employee from using the bathroom due to a quota is also a violation. The purpose of the quota law is not to prevent warehouses from instituting or maintaining work quotas. Warehouse work quotas are not per se illegal in California. Rather, the purpose of the law is first, for employees to be provided with notice of the quotas and how they work. It is unfair to subject warehouse employees to quotas they are unaware of. Second, the quotas cannot create health and safety violations, or prevent employees from taking meal breaks, rest breaks, or using the bathroom. Other health and safety violations might include employees moving around so quickly they are likely to sustain a [work injury](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/workers-compensation/). In the years leading up to the enactment of this law, higher rates of workplace injuries occurred in warehouses with quota systems. One of the effects of this law might be to reduce quotas that are likely to lead to work accidents. Employers are required to provide information about quotas, in a written form, when employees are hired or when new quotas come into existence. The manner in which the quota must be performed must be described. For example, the number of tasks to be performed or materials that must be produced or handled within a time period, and any potential adverse employment action that could result from failing to meet the quota must be mentioned in writing. If an employer does not comply with an employee’s written request for written descriptions of quotas and their personal-work-speed record, an employee can file an individual wage claim for penalties under Labor Code section 1198.5. The employee’s request must be in writing and the employer must provide the records within 30 days per Labor Code Section 1198.5. A violation will subject the employer to a $750 penalty. If a current employee believes that meeting a quota prevented them from exercising their rights to a meal period or rest period, or from exercising their rights regarding occupational health and safety standards, they may request a written description of the quotas they are subject to and a copy of their most recent 90 days of their personal-work-speed data. The employer must provide the information within 21 days. An employer that does not monitor work-speed data need not to do this. If a former employee believes that meeting a quota prevented them from exercising their rights to a meal period or rest period, or from complying with occupational health and safety standards, they may request a written description of the quotas they were subject to and a copy of the most recent 90 days of their personal-work-speed data before separation. The employer must provide the information within 21 days. An employer that does not monitor work-speed data need not provide it. A former employee is limited to one request. CALL [(951) 367-1000](tel:9513671000) IF YOU BELIEVE THE WAREHOUSE QUOTA LAW WAS VIOLATED Employees cannot be fired or retalitaed against for requesting information, complaining about quotas, or failing to meet undisclosed quotas. For example, a complaint that bathroom use is difficult due to the quota and then a job termination due to the complaint could be [wrongful termination](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-wrongful-termination-lawyer/). Likewise, an employee cannot be retaliated against for requesting information about quotas, complaining about the impact of a quota on their ability to take meal or rest breaks or bathroom breaks, or from exercising their rights regarding health and safety standards. Also, quite important, employers cannot retaliate against employees for failing to meet an undisclosed quota. If an employer takes any adverse employment action against an employee within 90 days of the employee making their first request of the year for information about a quota or personal-work-speed data or making a complaint related to a quota to the Labor Commissioner, other agency, or the employer, there is a rebuttable presumption of unlawful retaliation. The employer can still rebut the presumption, but it gives an employee the edge in the lawsuit if there is a rebuttable presumption the employer must rebut. CALL [(951) 367-1000](tel:9513671000) A WAREHOUSE QUOTA CAUSED YOU TROUBLE AT WORK ## Our Firm: No Upfront Fees or Costs ### Contingency Fee Representation All employment cases for employees are taken on a **contingency basis**. We are only paid a fee **when and if we win** your case, and we **advance all litigation costs**. Our goal is to make expert legal representation accessible to every hardworking employee. ### Serving Riverside County We have proudly served all of Riverside County since 1993. Ready to discuss your case? (951) 367-1000 Submit A Contact Form The Employment Lawyers Group has successfully handled 2,000+ Separate California Employment Cases ## Media Engagements ## Sample Case Results breach of commission contract $1,150,000 Unpaid commissions of two plaintiffs unpaid wages $875,000 For 4 oil field service industry workers whose times worked were not recorded on timesheets and were on-call forced to work without pay standby pay case $800,000 Controlled stand by class action settlement Disclaimer: These results are based on the facts of these specific cases and do not guarantee or predict a similar result in any future case. ## Practice Areas [Discrimination Age, Disability, FMLA/CFRA, Gender, National Origin, Pregnancy, Race, and Sexual Orientation discrimination claims.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/race-discrimination-lawyer/) [Unpaid Wages & Overtime Recovering earnings for overtime, bonuses, commissions, meal & rest break violations, and prevailing wage claims.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-unpaid-wages-lawyer/) [Sexual Harassment Compassionate and effective representation for sexual harassment and hostile work environment claims.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/palm-dessert-sexual-harassment-lawyer/) [Wrongful Termination Representing employees terminated in violation of public policy, contracts, or California and federal law.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-wrongful-termination-lawyer/) [Leaves & Retaliation Protecting employees who face adverse actions after reporting illegal activity or taking protected medical leave.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-leave-absence-lawyer-attorney/) [Whistleblowers Advocating for employees who report fraud, waste, or abuse under California and federal whistleblower protection laws.](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/riverside-whistleblower-attorney/) ## Our California Locations ### Bakersfield [BakersfieldLaborAttorney.com](https://bakersfieldlaborattorney.com) 5401 Business Park S, #214, Bakersfield CA 93309 [(661) 412-9600](tel:6614129600) ### Los Angeles [EmployeeLawCA.com](https://employeelawca.com/) 611 Wilshire Blvd, #1023, Los Angeles CA 90017 [(323) 525-1600](tel:3235251600) ### Orange County [WorkLawyerOC.com](https://worklawyeroc.com) 2522 Chambers Rd, #100, Tustin CA 92780 [(714) 210-8000](tel:7142108000) ### Riverside [RiversideEmploymentLawyer.com](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com) 9496 Magnolia Ave, #208, Riverside CA 92503 [(951) 367-1000](tel:9513671000) ### Sacramento [SacramentoLaborAttorney.com](https://sacramentolaborattorney.com) 777 Campus Commons Rd, #200, Sacramento CA 95825 [(916) 340-0000](tel:9163400000) ### San Bernardino [EmploymentAttorneySanBernardino.com](https://employmentattorneysanbernardino.com) 337 N. Vineyard Ave, #400, Ontario CA 91764 [(909) 663-2100](tel:9096632100) ### San Diego [SanDiegoEmployeeLawyer.com](https://sandiegoemployeelawyer.com) 330 "A" St, #60, San Diego CA 92101 [(619) 320-3000](tel:6193203000) ### San Francisco / Bay Area [BayAreaEmploymentAttorney.net](https://bayareaemploymentattorney.net) 524 Union St, #400, San Francisco CA 94133 [(877) 525-0700](tel:8775250700) ### San Jose / Silicon Valley [SiValleyLaborLawyer.com](https://sivalleylaborlawyer.com) 111 N. Market St, #300, San Jose CA 95113 [(877) 525-0700](tel:8775250700) ### Sherman Oaks [WorkLawyerCA.com](https://worklawyerca.com) 13418 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks CA 91423 [(818) 783-7300](tel:8187837300) ### Torrance / South Bay [JobTerminationLaw.com](https://jobterminationlaw.com/) 3655 Torrance Blvd, 3rd Floor, Torrance CA 90503 [(310) 842-8600](tel:3108428600) ### Ventura / Oxnard [VenturaEmploymentLawyer.com](https://venturaemploymentlawyer.com) 4030 West Hemlock St, Oxnard CA 93035 [(805) 200-0100](tel:8052000100) ### Additional Sites [BostonLaborLaw.com](https://bostonlaborlaw.com) [DcLaborAttorney.com](https://dclaborattorney.com) [FresnoEmployeeLawyer.com](https://fresnoemployeelawyer.com) [JobLawyer.net](https://joblawyer.net) [MarylandLaborAttorney.com](https://marylandlaborattorney.com/) [ModemStud.com](https://modemstud.com) [VintageLosAngeles.org](https://vintagelosangeles.org) [WorkplaceLawyer.org](https://workplacelawyer.org) ## About Firm Founder, Karl Gerber Firm Founder, **Karl Gerber**, has been an employment and wrongful termination attorney since **1993**. He has represented a wide range of employees throughout California. Mr. Gerber has won **51 of the binding arbitrations and jury trials** he first chaired, and a number of his appeals are published. This deep trial experience is the foundation of the firm's strategic approach to litigation. The employment attorneys employed by the Employment Lawyers Group have worked at the firm well in excess of five years, have also tried many different labor cases, and have all been **extensively trained on employment and wrongful termination law by Karl Gerber**. [Meet Karl Gerber](https://riversideemploymentlawyer.com/karl-gerber/) ## Ready to Discuss Your Case? Your rights as an employee matter. Submit a contact form and we'll get back to you. Submit A Contact Form [Call (951) 367-1000 Now](tel:9513671000)