California Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) further updated its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Frequently Asked Questions late last week in an attempt to provide more clarification and answer questions the...more
1/12/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
The Labor Department finalized a new rule yesterday that aims to make it easier for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors – but the rule faces a very uncertain future given that the Biden administration...more
With a new presidential administration scheduled to take over in just a few short weeks (as well as a revamped Congress), employers nationwide would be wise to anticipate a continued push for federal consumer privacy...more
Federal lawmakers agreed to a second round of stimulus legislation late last night, sending a nearly 6,000-page bill to President Trump for his expected signature. The proposal allocates $900 billion in economic relief to...more
12/23/2020
/ Borrowers ,
Business Expenses ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Federal Loans ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Income Taxes ,
Loan Applications ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
Paid Leave ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retail Workers ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
Tax Benefits ,
Tax Deductions ,
Unemployment Benefits
Governor Gavin Newsom just issued an Executive Order that potentially reduces the quarantine exclusion period for COVID-19 exposed employees in California under a recently approved Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued by...more
12/16/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Workplace Safety
With just weeks to go before the expiration of many stimulus programs aimed at stemming the pain of the pandemic, federal lawmakers are hurriedly working on a compromise legislative proposal to provide another round of...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom just announced a Regional Stay Home Order on December 3 that could soon have a dramatic impact on businesses in the state. Unlike previous orders, the Regional Stay Home Order focuses on...more
12/4/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Furloughs ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Workplace Safety
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board just adopted an emergency standard related to COVID-19 prevention in the workplace, imposing some significant requirements on California employers. Most notably, the new rule finalized yesterday...more
11/20/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
Governor Newsom just signed legislation that will extend the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) exemption for employee, job applicant, and independent contractor data for an additional year – until January 1, 2022....more
10/1/2020
/ Ballot Measures ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Data Collection ,
Data Privacy ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Job Applicants ,
Personal Information ,
Privacy Laws
Governor Newsom just signed legislation that will greatly expand the California Family Rights Act in a manner that will impact both small and large California employers. The CFRA requires covered employers to provide up to 12...more
9/17/2020
/ California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Mediation ,
Medical Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Pilot Programs ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave
Governor Newsom just signed into law a bill that will require public and private California employers to provide detailed notices to employees when there is a COVID-19 exposure in the workplace, and to provide notice to local...more
9/17/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Public Health ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State Labor Laws ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed legislation that establishes a workers’ compensation presumption that will apply to most employers in the state that have a COVID-19 “outbreak” through 2022 – meaning it is much...more
9/17/2020
/ Burden of Proof ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
First Responders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Employees ,
State Labor Laws ,
Virus Testing ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
A new law just went into effect that revises California’s test for determining whether a worker is considered an employee or an independent contractor, slicing off a number of various work arrangements from having to comply...more
The California legislature just closed the books on one of the most interesting sessions in the State’s history. Not only did it itself shut down completely on two different occasions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last...more
It’s hard to keep up with all the recent changes to labor and employment law. While the law always seems to evolve at a rapid pace, there have been an unprecedented number of changes for the past few years—and this past month...more
9/10/2020
/ Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Independent Contractors ,
Medical Leave ,
Misclassification ,
NLRB ,
Paid Leave ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Remote Working ,
Telecommuting ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wrongful Death
The California Legislature is expected to pass legislation yesterday that would provide up to 80 hours of supplemental paid sick leave to millions of California workers for reasons related to COVID-19. Mirror Senate and...more
9/1/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Governor Newsom ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pending Legislation ,
Quarantine ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
After returning from its hiatus on May 4, the California legislature has wasted no time in drafting a flurry of new bills which will affect employers in the aftermath of the state’s response to COVID-19. While the state...more
7/27/2020
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Burden of Proof ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Layoff Notices ,
Layoffs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
Misclassification ,
Notice Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Pending Legislation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
WARN Act ,
Workers' Compensation Claim ,
Workplace Safety
In a budget deal finalized today and expected to be approved by state lawmakers in a matter of days, the California state legislature has reached an agreement that will see $17.5 million allocated toward enforcement of AB-5...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom just enacted sweeping changes to the state’s workers’ compensation standards, providing that a broad swath of California workers who contract COVID-19 are presumed to have a workplace injury...more
Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti just signed two companion ordinances involving worker retention and right-of-recall that will go into effect on June 14, 2020. The below is intended to help employers determine if — and to what...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom just signed into law Executive Order N-51-20 to provide two weeks of supplemental paid sick leave to certain food supply chain workers, provided they are subject to specified qualifying...more
4/17/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Executive Orders ,
Food Service Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Independent Contractors ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Paid Leave ,
Public Health ,
Restaurant Industry ,
Sick Leave
San Francisco and San Jose have joined the growing list of local California jurisdictions to adopt COVID-19-specific paid sick leave measures impacting employer and employees who operate in the local areas. In general, these...more
The U.S. Department of Labor issued a new rule yesterday to regulate the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA) and the paid leave programs that just became law on April 1, 2020. We’ve digested the 124-page document...more
4/3/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
EPSLA ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Healthcare Workers ,
New Rules ,
Paid Leave ,
Rate of Pay ,
Required Documentation ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Sick Leave ,
Small Business ,
Wage and Hour
The Department of Labor (DOL) continues to update its guidance document on implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), and the latest update caught many employers by surprise. The updated document...more
Businesses struggling with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis received good news late last night when the Senate passed an unprecedented piece of legislation aimed at providing a massive stimulus to...more
3/31/2020
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Retention ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Paid Leave ,
Payroll Taxes ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour