President Joe Biden’s October 2023 Executive Order on AI directed agencies to institute a significant number of actions on AI. On April 29, 2024, the White House announced that federal agencies had completed “all of the...more
Our Doing Business in Québec guide provides an overview of the legal framework governing Canadian business operations in the province of Québec. This guide provides up-to-date information about the following topics: •...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: California Labor Code section 1102.5 protects employees who disclose what they believe to be violations of the law. The Supreme Court of California has ruled that such disclosures are protected even if the...more
As California Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration seeks to finalize the 2023-24 Governor’s Budget, the California Joint Legislative Audit Committee (the Committee) has moved to audit the persistent backlog of wage theft...more
On February 19, 2023, San Francisco’s Private Sector Military Leave Pay Protection Act took effect. The ordinance requires covered employers to provide supplemental pay to an employee while on leave for military duty for up...more
In 2023, several jurisdictions aim to increase enforcement of wage violations. Unsurprisingly, California took the lead when Governor Newsom proposed a budget increase for California’s workplace enforcement agency....more
Even with the strictest compliance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and best workplace safety practices, on-the-job injuries from time to time are inevitable in the construction industry....more
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
In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On this ninth day of the holidays, my labor and employment...more
The City of Chicago has amended its Minimum Wage and Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (the “Ordinance”), providing news reasons for taking paid sick leave under the Ordinance, and adding a new remedy for Chicago employees alleging...more
On June 3, 2021, AB-257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (the “FAST Act”) was defeated in the California Assembly, coming up three votes short of the 41 votes needed. The FAST Act would have...more
In effect since July 1, 2020, the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA”) replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”). Although the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic largely overshadowed the effective date...more
We have long reported about that modern marvel of well-intentioned legislation gone awry known as the Private Attorneys General Act (“PAGA”) – and we also have noted that in practice, PAGA stands for Pretty-much All Goes to...more
On July 29, 2020, Bill 32: Restoring Balance in Alberta’s Workplaces Act, 2020 (Bill) received royal assent in Alberta. This Bill amends the Alberta Employment Standards Code (ESC) and Labour Relations Code (LRC). The...more
Seyfarth Synopsis: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) recently released its annual National Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (National Census), concluding that the fatal work injury rate in 2018 remained at 3.5...more
Effective January 1, 2020, Seattle employers with twenty or more employees worldwide must offer their employees the opportunity to make pre-tax payroll deductions for transit or vanpool expenses. The goal of the new Seattle...more
It’s been a busy week on the Dynamex front, and the news for businesses continues to get worse. As we recently discussed, the 9th Circuit held just last week that Dynamex and the ABC test should be applied retroactively. The...more
On May 7, 2018, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) published revised rules concerning the city’s generous Paid Sick Leave Ordinance (PSLO)....more
Senate Bill 96, the California state budget bill, includes some employment-related “trailer bills” that accompany the main budget bill, including the following: Cal/OSHA Penalty Increases: SB 96 increases penalties for...more
California has had yet another banner year closing the 2017 legislative session with a spate of new employment laws imposing additional compliance obligations on employers. Bucking the anti-regulatory tide in Washington, DC,...more
The Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (“DLSE”) recently issued updated guidance regarding rest breaks that reverses its previous position, which permitted employers to require that employees stay on work premises during...more
In November 2017, the California Labor Commissioner’s office, Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (“DLSE”), published updated guidance on employer provided paid 10-minute rest breaks. Specifically, the DLSE maintains...more
Pending proposals would radically transform the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the related federal Portal-to-Portal Act. Entitled the "Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act" in both the House (H.R. 3467) and the...more
SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - Rules of Procedure Governing Cases Before the Office of Hearings and Appeals - The U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) has amended the rules of practice of its Office of Hearings...more
New York City has become the first city in the nation to protect freelance workers through legislation to prevent client non-payment, which is alleged to have become widespread. Some sources have estimated that 4 million...more