A California court just gave 135 ambulance company workers a second shot at nearly $500K
A $100 employee appreciation bonus has cleared the way for a class action alleging nearly $500,000 in unpaid wages against a California ambulance company.
On April 21, 2026, the California Court of Appeal, Fifth Appellate District, reversed a lower court's decision that had blocked class certification in the case. Involving roughly 135 current and former employees of a Tulare County ambulance provider, the dispute turns on a question that HR teams across the country deal with regularly: how bonuses factor into overtime pay calculations.
Sierra Lifestar, Inc., operating as Lifestar Ambulance, provides 911 emergency ambulance services in and around the City of Tulare. The company employs paramedics, emergency medical technicians, clerical staff, and an IT technician, all paid hourly on a biweekly basis. In May 2020, Lifestar gave its employees a bonus for National Emergency Medical Services Week – a payment intended to recognize paramedics and EMTs for the demanding work they do. Former EMT Adam Martinez received that bonus, netting $100 after withholdings, during his 10-month stint with the company. It was the only bonus he ever received from Lifestar.
The problem is that Lifestar never folded that bonus – or any of the nine other types of bonuses it paid employees – into the rate it used to calculate overtime, double time, and meal and rest period premiums. Lifestar's own...
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