After several long weeks as the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) undertook a review of the proposal, the new Cal/OSHA COVID-19 regulation has been approved as is now officially in effect. The new regulation was approved and...more
California employers with at least 100 employees are likely familiar with the pay data reporting requirements that were enacted in 2020. Recent amendments under SB 1162, however, make some significant changes for 2023. You...more
Pay transparency is one of the hottest trends impacting the workforce today, and staffing companies and PEOs need to keep up with new laws and evolving expectations to stay compliant and competitive in 2023 and beyond. Pay...more
By now, California employers are familiar with the state’s COVID-19 safety protocols for the workplace. After several years, however, Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) is being replaced by a new “permanent”...more
1/20/2023
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Regulations ,
Notice Requirements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
The Agricultural Labor Relations Board recently published an overview on AB 2183, the monumental “card check” legislation passed last year that makes it far easier for California agricultural workers to organize into unions....more
California officials recently updated their Equal Pay Act FAQs to answer a handful of questions about the state’s new pay transparency requirement for job postings — which goes into effect on January 1. But California...more
As we near the end of the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), Cal/OSHA has promised a new COVID-19 workplace regulation in its place. On December 15, the agency’s Standards Board will be voting to approve a...more
After a wild and bumpy ride of dealing with the Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), most California employers were relieved that the ETS was set to expire at the end of this year. However, last-minute debate...more
Employers faced unprecedented challenges over the last few years when it comes to attracting and retaining skilled workers — and many turned to staffing firms to help fill critical roles. In turn, the Equal Employment...more
California just passed a new law that will continue to keep the state front and center when it comes to the continued adoption of blockchain technology. However, at the same time, Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed broader...more
Fans of the 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story might remember the famous line, “Every real story is a never-ending story.” For California employers that have been grappling with COVID-19 for the better part of the last...more
10/7/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
CDPH ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
As we previewed previously, a number of hot-button legislative proposals made it to Governor Newsom’s desk this year – many of which would change the landscape for California employers. For the first time since the COVID-19...more
10/5/2022
/ Agricultural Workers ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Rebuttable Presumptions ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
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