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
With California’s new $20-per-hour minimum wage for fast food workers set to take effect on April 1, 2024, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) has updated its guidance regarding the new minimum wage law’s...more
3/29/2024
/ Airports ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Entertainment Venues ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Exemptions ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Minimum Wage ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
On February 1, 2024, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD), the agency responsible for administering California’s pay data collection, issued updated guidance for the 2023 California pay data reports that are due May...more
As the 2023 California pay data reporting cycle begins, a look at the California Civil Rights Department’s (CRD) recent pay data reporting enforcement actions provides a helpful reminder of the potential risk that exists for...more
The 2023 California Pay Data Reporting Portal is set to open on February 1, 2024. Reports must be submitted on or before May 8, 2024. Employers can expect the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) to issue updated...more
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently released new guidance clarifying how employers using mandatory paid sick leave accrual and caps may transition to the increased amount of forty hours or five...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
Beginning January 1, 2024, California employees may have to pay overtime to more computer software employees who earn less than $115,763.35 per year, or $55.58 per hour, or $9,646.96 per month....more
10/24/2023
/ Consumer Price Index ,
Department of Industrial Relations ,
Exempt-Employees ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Minimum Salary ,
NPRM ,
Software Developers ,
State Labor Laws ,
Technology Sector ,
Wage and Hour ,
White-Collar Exemptions
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
As the September 14, 2023, deadline to pass bills during the current session of the California Legislature fast approaches, the California Senate and Assembly are considering several employment law bills. Many are likely to...more
9/6/2023
/ Caregivers ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Maternity Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Parental Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Remote Working ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Violence
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
A bill pending in the California Senate, Senate Bill (SB) No. 616, proposes to expand the number of paid sick days that California employers must offer to employees.
Under current law, eligible California employees are...more
On April 14, 2023, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) announced that it will consider providing employers two-month extensions on the upcoming May 10, 2023, deadline to comply with the state’s new pay data reporting...more
The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) recently issued new guidance confirming that private colleges and universities and labor contractors are subject to the newly expanded pay data reporting obligations added as part...more
4/5/2023
/ Colleges ,
EEO-1 ,
Labor Contractor ,
New Legislation ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Transparency ,
Private Sector ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Staffing Agencies ,
State Labor Laws ,
Universities ,
Wage and Hour
The California Civil Rights Division (CRD) recently released updated guidance in the form of frequently asked questions (FAQs) for the 2022 California pay data reports, which covered employers must submit via the CRD’s pay...more
Employers posting jobs to be filled in California must now include a pay range in the posting under new requirements that took effect at the beginning of 2023. Senate Bill (SB) 1162, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom...more
1/13/2023
/ Department of Industrial Relations ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Governor Newsom ,
Guidance Update ,
Job Ads ,
Minimum Salary ,
Pay Transparency ,
Posting Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour