Governor Newsom just approved “card check” legislation making it far easier for California workers to organize into unions and creating headaches for agricultural employers in the state. Newsom’s signature on September 28...more
As a result of Governor Newsom’s signature on legislation Tuesday, California will soon join a growing list of state and local jurisdictions that require job postings to include pay scale information. With the enactment of...more
Eight months of legislative wrangling and dealmaking have come to an end as the California Legislature just wrapped up work for the year – and now employers across the Golden State turn their eyes to the governor’s office to...more
9/2/2022
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Applicants ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California lawmakers just passed the first bill in the nation that aims to enact specific workplace rules and standards for fast-food employees – a move that could have devastating consequences for the industry. The Fast Food...more
9/1/2022
/ Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Minimum Wage ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules ,
Working Conditions ,
Workplace Safety
There’s been a lot of buzz in privacy circles in recent weeks over proposed bipartisan federal privacy legislation that has advanced from policy committee and now awaits further action on the floor of the House of...more
A new law set to take effect on August 6 will require hotels in the City of Los Angeles to implement new protections for certain hotel workers and raises the minimum wage at more hotels in the City of Los Angeles. Similar...more
7/12/2022
/ Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Local Ordinance ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Over-Time ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California public health officials recently revised the definitions of “close contact” and “infectious period” that appear in the state’s pandemic-related rules – and the new broader standards might catch some employers by...more
Many California employers were hopeful there was an end in sight for COVID-19 requirements – but recent activity from state workplace safety officials means that you will most likely need to comply with pandemic rules for at...more
Employers can enforce arbitration agreements in California to the extent they require an employee to arbitrate individual claims under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), according to an 8 to 1 SCOTUS ruling...more
6/16/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Collective Actions ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Preemption ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana
Policymakers introduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate on June 7 seeking to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrency in the United States. The drafters of the legislation tout it as the first...more
California just took a huge leap forward in its innovation efforts when Governor Gavin Newsom issued an Executive Order establishing it as the first state in the nation to begin creating a “comprehensive and harmonized”...more
You may recall the Seinfeld episode where Elaine Benes consumes a $29,000 piece of cake from the 1937 wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. A birthday cake from an office party in Kentucky may have that pricey wedding...more
California workplace safety officials just approved a third round of changes to the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, and while many of them conform to recent guidance that have already been incorporated into...more
4/22/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Rule ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
Just a few short years ago, the use of blockchain technology in the workplace seemed like nothing more than an interesting theoretical discussion – but now a California lawmaker wants to deploy it to fight against...more
In the surest sign that COVID-19 restrictions are moving to the rearview mirror once and for all, California has just relaxed its face covering requirements, regardless of vaccination status in most settings – and for most...more
3/2/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The last two years have been an interesting respite for California employers. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the legislature – just like other businesses – which resulted in abbreviated legislative schedules, fewer bills...more
2/24/2022
/ B2B Organizations ,
Bereavement Leave ,
Biometric Information ,
California ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
California will lift its statewide mask mandate for vaccinated individuals in most indoor public spaces on February 15. This update signals the expiration of the January 5 California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Order....more
Responding to pressure from labor amidst the Omicron variant, California lawmakers and Governor Newsom are on the cusp of enacting new COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL) that could go into effect in a matter of...more
The California Department of Public Health just updated its masking guidance to extend the statewide requirement for universal masking through February 15 regardless of vaccine status. Like the guidance issued on December 15,...more
On the heels of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC’s) updated isolation and quarantine guidance reducing the length of time an individual must isolate after contracting COVID-19 and the quarantine period for those exposed...more
1/5/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Masks ,
New Guidance ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The nation’s highest Court has announced it will step in and rule whether the Biden administration’s aggressive workplace vaccine strategy – including a mandate-or-test rule for larger employers and a strict mandate for...more
After repeatedly denying requests to decide the same issue, the U.S. Supreme Court has finally agreed to review the rule prohibiting California Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) waivers in individual arbitration...more
In one of the more shocking developments in a year full of surprises, a federal appeals court breathed new life into the Biden administration’s mandate-or-test emergency vaccine rule with a stunning Friday afternoon decision....more
Hopefully you didn’t throw away those face coverings quite yet. Responding to the emerging Omicron variant and an anticipated winter COVID-19 surge, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) just issued an updated...more
Not 24 hours after a Missouri federal court temporarily blocked the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate in 10 states, a Louisiana federal court took one giant step...more