On August 31, 2024, the California Legislature passed the California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act, Senate Bill (SB) No. 399. The bill heads to Governor Gavin Newsom, who has until September 30, 2024, to sign...more
9/5/2024
/ Civil Rights Act ,
Employee Rights ,
Employment Discrimination ,
First Amendment ,
Pending Legislation ,
Political Speech ,
Religious Beliefs ,
Special Meetings ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII ,
Union Organizers ,
Unions
On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) unveiled its final rule and interpretive guidance implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), clarifying employers’ responsibilities under...more
On April 15, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued its final rule implementing the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA). The final rule will be published in the Federal Register on April 19,...more
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently published a revised employee wage theft notice, effective January 1, 2024, that reflects legislation enacted in California in October 2023 requiring notice of...more
The new California employment-related laws that came out of the 2023 legislative session address a number of issues that will affect many employers. Leave (paid family leave, sick leave, and reproductive loss leave),...more
Along with signing into law a variety of employment-related bills in the 2023–2024 legislative session, Governor Gavin Newsom also vetoed numerous bills that would have further affected California employers. Here is an...more
Governor Newsom recently signed into law numerous bills that will affect California employers come January 1, 2024. Here is a quick overview of some of the new law that are relevant for employers....more
11/7/2023
/ Accrued Benefits ,
Arbitration ,
Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Governor Newsom ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Paid Leave ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
On September 30, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 235, which adds new rules for initial disclosures of information in discovery.
Specifically, the new law amends California Code...more
On October 8, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Senate Bill (SB) No. 731. If enacted into law, SB 731 would have required employers to provide at least 30 calendar days’ advance written notice before requiring...more
On October 10, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill (AB) No. 933. The new law provides further protection to individuals who are victims of sexual offenses and are sued under state defamation law....more
10/12/2023
/ Assault ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Civil Code ,
Crime Victims ,
Defamation ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Governor Newsom ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
New Legislation ,
Privileged Communication ,
Punitive Damages ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Treble Damages ,
Vulnerable Victims
On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1356, which would have required employers to provide workers with earlier notice in the event of a mass layoff. Specifically, AB 1356 would have amended...more
On October 8, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Senate Bill (SB) No. 497—also referred to as the Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act. SB 497 amends California Labor Code Sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5...more
On October 7, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 700 into law, expanding California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act to protect applicants from discrimination based on prior cannabis use, with...more
10/10/2023
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Cannabis Products ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Drug Testing ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fair Chance Act ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Job Applicants ,
Marijuana
On October 4, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 616 into law. SB 616 amends California’s paid sick leave law to expand mandatory paid sick leave from three days or twenty-four hours to five days or forty...more
On September 28, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1228 into law, repealing the FAST Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act) (AB 257) and replacing it with a...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 428 on September 30, 2023. The new law expands California’s workplace violence restraining order law to protect against certain kinds of workplace harassment as...more
California is one step closer to becoming the first state to enact legislation banning caste-based discrimination. Senate Bill (SB) No. 403 adds caste to the list of characteristics protected by the California Fair Employment...more
On August 11, 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will publish its proposed regulations on the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in the Federal Register. The PWFA became effective on June 27,...more
8/10/2023
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Comment Period ,
Duty to Accommodate ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
NPRM ,
Pregnancy ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Public Comment ,
Reasonable Accommodation
The California Legislature is poised to make it even more difficult for hospitality and business service providers to operate in California. Senate Bill (SB) No. 723 amends California Labor Code Section 2810.8, which provides...more
6/29/2023
/ Construction Industry ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employer ,
DLSE ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Pending Legislation ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Right of Recall ,
State Labor Laws ,
Sunset Provisions
Complying with the various legal and practical requirements of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and its regulations is an ongoing challenge for employers, particularly when it comes to questions about when an employee...more
On January 20, 2023, San Francisco Mayor London Breed approved a city ordinance that will require large, private employers to provide differential paid leave for military reservists called up to active duty. The “Military...more
On September 29 and 30, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than one hundred new pieces of legislation, several of which directly affect California employers. In addition to several California Division of...more
10/4/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Call Centers ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Contraceptives ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Handbooks ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Hazards
On May 27, 2022, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) issued its “Proposed Rules Implementing the Family Friendly Workplace Ordinance (as amended).” The OLSE also issued a notice of proposed...more
On February 28, 2022, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued new guidance, further loosening the rules for wearing COVID-19–related masks in the state. Effective March 1, 2022, unvaccinated individuals are...more
On February 23, 2022, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) issued an order, effective February 25, 2022, that slightly loosened the rules for wearing COVID-19 masks in the county. One day after the...more