Auto Wage Law

Analytical operating system · version 1.0

One sequence.
Six distinct jobs.

A reliable review moves from facts to action without letting a pay label, one record, or one exemption answer a different question.

California + federal · source checked 2026-07-18

The decision sequence

Keep each inference in its lane.

Each stage has a different object, evidence burden, and failure mode. Skipping one does not save work; it hides an assumption inside a conclusion.

  1. 01Facts

    Controlling question

    What work occurred?

    Establish the employer, establishment, role, actual duties, dates, workday, workweek, and activities.

    Analytical control

    Prevents a title, schedule, or payroll label from substituting for the work and business facts that select the rule.

    Working record set

    • Schedules and raw time records
    • Job duties and establishment records
    • System and activity timestamps
  2. 02Classify

    Controlling question

    What is each pay component?

    Classify hourly wages, salary, piece/flat rate, commission, draw, bonus, premium, reimbursement, and debit by substance.

    Analytical control

    Prevents payroll vocabulary—commission, flag, spiff, pack, draw, or chargeback—from deciding which rules apply.

    Working record set

    • Written plan and amendments
    • Payroll code dictionary
    • Production and transaction formulas
  3. 03Measure

    Controlling question

    Which hours and rates control?

    Reconcile worked time, output, rests, nonproductive time, meals, overtime, earning periods, and applicable rates.

    Analytical control

    Prevents aggregate averaging, mismatched date ranges, and use of one rate or time unit to answer a different calculation.

    Working record set

    • Workweek-aligned time and payroll
    • Flag or deal ledgers
    • Rate and premium calculations
  4. 04Test

    Controlling question

    Which rule applies?

    Select the wage order and run federal and California coverage, exemption, and compensation routes separately.

    Analytical control

    Prevents one federal exemption, state label, or compensation threshold from resolving obligations outside its legal lane.

    Working record set

    • Establishment and sales facts
    • Actual-duty evidence
    • Representative-period and salary-basis records
  5. 05Verify

    Controlling question

    What proves or contradicts it?

    Align the plan, time record, system activity, production or deal detail, payroll register, and statement for the same dates.

    Analytical control

    Prevents a single document, missing record, or isolated timestamp from carrying more inferential weight than it can support.

    Working record set

    • Matched-date record packet
    • Audit trails and edit reasons
    • Contradictory and corroborating evidence
  6. 06Act

    Controlling question

    What changes next?

    Identify the unresolved predicate, missing proof, preservation step, control change, correction, or fact-specific question.

    Analytical control

    Prevents an educational screen from converting incomplete inputs into a compliance verdict, liability finding, or claim value.

    Working record set

    • Correction and preservation log
    • Control owner and due date
    • Source-check and decision record

Role × issue crosswalk

The same label does not produce the same analysis.

Choose a role to isolate one row, or compare all five. Every cell names a question—not a conclusion.

Showing all five dealership roles.

Dealership roleTime questionPay methodCoverage routeProof packet
TechniciantechnicianClock vs. flagWaiting, training, cleanup, rests, and repair activity occupy different time categories.primaryPiece / flat rateThe production unit and every nonproduction category must be classified before measurement.primaryTwo legal lanesFederal mechanic overtime treatment does not decide California pay, break, or record rules.primaryRO + time + payRepair orders, flag ledgers, timecards, and statements must cover the same dates.primary
SalessalesFloor and follow-upOpening, demos, delivery, remote contact, and required meetings may extend beyond deal events.possibleCommission + drawEarning conditions, guarantees, packs, bonuses, and debits require transaction-level tracing.primaryCommission testsCalifornia and federal commissioned-employee exemptions use different periods and thresholds.possiblePlan + deal + statementSigned plan versions, deal jackets, funding events, draw ledgers, and statements answer different questions.primary
Service advisoradvisorLane and follow-upOpening, closing, dispatch, customer calls, and break coverage remain time questions.primarySales-based mixLabor, parts, CSI, service-contract, salary, and bonus components may follow different rules.possibleEncino is federalThe federal service-advisor route does not decide California overtime or related obligations.exception sensitiveRO + schedule + payRepair orders, lane schedules, customer contacts, time records, and payroll require alignment.primary
F&IFinance & insuranceBack-end work timeDeal completion, funding follow-up, cancellations, and opening/closing work can cross recorded shifts.possibleCommission + salaryProduct compensation, draws, chargebacks, and guarantees require separate classification.primarySeveral routesSection 7(i), white-collar rules, and California tests must each satisfy their own predicates.exception sensitiveDeal + plan + periodDeal detail, signed plan, representative period, salary guarantee, and time records are all material.primary
Parts & supportsupportRole-specific timeCounter, shuttle, lot, BDC, detail, office, and vendor work cannot share one time assumption.exception sensitiveHourly or incentiveUnit, appointment, production, bonus, and ordinary hourly methods need separate classification.possibleDuties and entityPartsman, employee/contractor, joint-employer, and ordinary nonexempt routes depend on different facts.exception sensitiveEntity + duty + timeVendor contracts, actual control, schedules, system activity, pay, and expenses must be kept distinct.primary

Output standard

The defensible output is a bounded next step.

State the proposition being tested, the facts that select it, the period and unit of measurement, the supporting and contradictory records, the unresolved predicate, and the action owner.

Do not convert incomplete inputs into a risk score, compliance verdict, liability finding, or claim valuation. Precision includes saying what the present record cannot decide.