PHRCA EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
What are the federal wage and your laws in California called? - Answers -Fair labor
standards act
Who are the California labor laws governed by? - Answers -Department of industrial
relations labor enforcement task force?
Which takes precedence, CA state or federal labor laws? - Answers -Whichever is most
generous
What is the main purpose of DLSE? - Answers -Ensure that all employees are
appropriately paid for work completed in the state of California
How many district units are in DLSE? - Answers -Seven
How many IWC wage orders are there? - Answers -17 & must be posted for employees
to see & read
How is federal minimum wage different in CA? - Answers -California does not allow
averaging when calculating minimum wage. Regardless of the wage earned in a
specific hour
How does CA define a living wage? - Answers -Is the minimum income necessary for a
person to meet there basic needs. A standard that a person working 40 hours a week
with no additional income should be able to afford basic quality of life,. Examples -
needs, food, shelter, utilities, etc.
How does CA define prevailing wage? - Answers -Basic hourly rate, usual benefits and
overtime pay on public workers projects (construction is an example, airports, fire
stations, local school districts, etc)
How does CA define overtime? - Answers -Anything over 8 hours in one workday
40 hours in any workweek
In CA can you require mandatory overtime? - Answers -Yes
Exception to the overtime law? - Answers -If there is a valid adopted alternative
workweek schedule (nurses)
A firefighter stays at the fire house in-between emergency calls. The city will pay the
firefighter for the time spent at the fire house. This is an example of what type of pay? -
Answers -On-call time
The fire fighters are waiting to go to work. Since they are under the control of the
organization, they are to be paid for being on-call.
,All employers are required to provide their employees with: - Answers -24 hours, or 3
days, of paid sick leave annually
Employees must use makeup time within the______ workweek as the needed time off. -
Answers -same
Which wage order is this? Employers are required to provide their sheepherders with
regular mail service; an appropriate form of communication to allow them to
communicate with employers, health care providers, and government regulators; and
visitor access to fixed site housing and, when practical, to mobile housing. - Answers -
Wage order #14
Employers are allowed to require... - Answers -vacation requests to be approved in
advanced, and can limit the amount and timing of vacations taken.
Which of the below choices includes four items that MUST be included on a paystub? -
Answers -Inclusive dates of pay period, name and address of company, net wages
earned, sick time accrued and unused
Employers are permitted to make payroll deductions for... (3 things) - Answers -
garnishments, income tax, and health insurance contributions.
An employee arrives at work for their scheduled shift and informs the supervisor that
they are quitting. When MUST the organization provide the final paycheck? - Answers -
Within 72 hours of being notified
An employee classified as exempt under the Professional exemption MUST meet which
of the following requirements? - Answers -Perform primary duties requiring a license or
certification by the state.
An employer is required to compensate an employee for reporting time when they are
sent home after reporting to work; as long as there is not... (4 things) - Answers -an Act
of God,
a utility failure outside of the employers control,
if the employer has been threatened, or
if the employer was required to cease operations by any local, state, or the federal
government.
An exempt employee's salary cannot be reduced except for: - Answers -Pay for the
initial or the final week of work.
An employer is not permitted to deduct pay from an exempt employee for poor
performance, disciplinary action, or the unavailability of work.
To ensure that employers comply with the laws governing the payment of wages when
an employment relationship ends, Labor Code Section 203 provides for the assessment
,of a penalty against the employer - Answers -When there is a willful failure to pay wages
due to the employee at the conclusion of the employment relationship.
California law allows that split-shift differential is paid to employees at a minimum of: -
Answers -One hour of pay at the state minimum wage.
Commission agreements need to: - Answers -Be signed by the employer and the
employee
How many IWC Wage Orders are enforced under the DLSE? - Answers -17
If an organization wanted to implement an alternative workweek, which of the following
would it need to do? - Answers -Obtain an approval by at least two-thirds of the affected
employees.
Nonexempt employees have the ability to: - Answers -Employees have the right to
waive the mandated meal period if they do so at their own request, and in writing.
waive their meal period if they will work less than six-hours in the workday.
Organizations are required to provide employees with itemized wage statements that
MUST include: - Answers -All applicable hourly rates during the pay period.
Organizations that do business in a city/county with a living wage are required to: -
Answers -The city or county living wage prevails over the state minimum wage, as long
as the living wage is higher than the state's minimum wage.
Pay the living wage.
Split-shift differential pay is owed to employees who: - Answers -Work a shift in the
morning, leave, and then return to a shift in the afternoon for the same organization.
The IWC Wage Orders govern which of the following? - Answers -Minimum wage that
each nonexempt employee can be paid.
Upon involuntary termination of employment, an organization is required to give the
employee which of the following? - Answers -A booklet explaining state unemployment
benefits
Wage Order #17 covers: - Answers -Miscellaneous employees
Wage Order #17 covers all employees that are not specifically covered in any of the
other Wage Orders.
What is covered by Wage Order #1? - Answers -Manufacturing
, When an employee gives two weeks notice of intention to resign, final pay must be
given: - Answers -On the final day of employment for the employee.
Employers need to ensure that their reimbursement rate includes all gas costs while
conducting business, as well... - Answers -as a portion of all maintenance costs for the
vehicle.
Employers are allowed to round to the nearest... - Answers -5 minutes, 1/10th of an
hour, or 1/4th of an hour.
Which of the below rest and meal breaks is not required under California law? -
Answers -One 60-minute lunch break for workdays over 8 hours
All required lunch breaks are only required to be__ minutes long. - Answers -30
Which of the following describes an alternative workweek? - Answers -An alternative
workweek consists of four days that are 10 hours in length.
Which of the following is not an exemption test when determining status? - Answers -
Hourly
Employees can fall under the (6 things) - Answers -Administrative,
Executive,
Professional,
Computer Professional,
Outside Salesperson,
or Commissioned Inside Sales Employee exemptions.
Who is protected in IWC wage orders? - Answers -Nonexempt
Exempt employees in California must be paid at least ___ times the minimum wage in
weekly salary expectations - Answers -Two
A worker can only classified as an independent contractor if... (3 things) - Answers -A.
The worker is free from control and direction in the performance of services.
B. The worker is performing work outside the usual course of the business of the hiring
company
C. The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade,
occupation, or business