The “future of work” is the topic du jour these days for pundits, academics, policy makers, employers and unions alike. Numerous conferences, white papers, academic studies, and media investigations have all explored this...more
It’s not often that we get to report good news on this blog. But last week, two significant bills that would have imposed new requirements on California employers failed to advance past the Assembly Appropriations...more
5/30/2018
/ Failed Legislation ,
Governor Brown ,
Healthy Workplaces Healthy Families Act 2014 ,
Local Ordinance ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Paid Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
As we previously discussed in this blog, last year Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation to prevent employers from asking about salary history information. That legislation, Assembly Bill 168 (Eggman), went into effect on...more
4/27/2018
/ Ban the Box ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Equal Pay ,
Equal Pay Act ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Job Applicants ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Wage and Hour
One of the more popular public policy issues of late has been an employer’s obligation to accommodate employees who are lactating or expressing breast milk. The federal government, states, and local jurisdictions have been...more
4/9/2018
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Labor Commissioners ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undue Hardship
As we have previously discussed, one of the hottest gig economy issues to dominate political and public policy debate has been “portable” benefits – the concept that gig economy workers should have flexible, portable benefits...more
February 16 was the deadline to introduce new bills in the California Legislature. By that date, nearly 2,200 bills were introduced. While that may seem like a staggering amount of legislative proposals (especially for a...more
2/28/2018
/ Agricultural Workers ,
Amended Legislation ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Board of Directors ,
Breastfeeding ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Construction Workers ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
DLSE ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FEHA ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Human Trafficking ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Independent Contractors ,
Janitorial Services ,
Labor Commissioners ,
Lead Poisoning ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Marijuana ,
Marijuana Related Businesses ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Minimum Wage ,
Minor Children ,
Misclassification ,
Notice Requirements ,
OSHA ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Payroll Records ,
Penalties ,
Personal Services ,
Portable Benefits ,
Prevailing Wages ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Safety ,
Public Sector ,
Public Works ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Testimony ,
Trump Administration ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Undue Hardship ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Workplace Safety
As we discussed back in January, sexual harassment appears to be the hot topic for the California State Legislature’s 2018 session. This is certainly not a surprise, as issues related to sexual harassment and the #MeToo...more
2/21/2018
/ Adverse Action ,
Arbitration ,
Chamber of Commerce ,
Civil Code ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Defamation ,
DFEH ,
Domestic Violence ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
Former Employee ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hotels ,
Leave of Absence ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Lobbyists ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Personal Liability ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Agencies ,
Record Retention ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Release of Claims ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Retaliation ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Stalking ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies ,
Whistleblowers
One of the more controversial bills introduced in the California Legislature in 2017, which was eligible to be brought up this month, has been held and will not move forward.
AB 5 by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher...more
The California Legislature reconvened on January 3 to begin the second year of the 2017-18 legislative session. As anticipated, sexual harassment appears to be the “hot topic” for the Legislature this year, with nearly a...more
1/8/2018
/ Arbitration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unions ,
Whistleblower Protection Policies
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 each month in 2017. November was no...more
12/7/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Appeals ,
Attorney General ,
Decriminalization of Marijuana ,
Electronic Filing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Failed Legislation ,
Fair Workweek ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Fines ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gig Economy ,
Harassment ,
Independent Contractors ,
IRS ,
Joint Employers ,
LGBTQ ,
Marijuana ,
Misclassification ,
Paid Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Rules ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Salary/Wage History ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tax Penalties ,
Title VII ,
Uber ,
UK ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting
Popular legislative proposals sometimes generate competition among legislators for who will be the first to introduce a bill on a given subject, or who will get credit for a bill’s final passage and enactment into law....more
It’s difficult to glean much from a veto message. However, in vetoing a recent California bill meant to regulate certain aspects of the “innovation” economy, Governor Jerry Brown used some pointed language that some in the...more
Over the last several years, the level of employer complaints about PAGA has reached a deafening crescendo. For some time now, employers have expressed deep concern about abusive litigation tactics and “extortionate” PAGA...more
The Legislature worked into the wee hours of the morning Saturday as it hit its deadline to pass legislation and send bills to Governor Brown for signature or veto....more
It’s a time of high-drama in Sacramento. With less than two weeks to go in the legislative year, many of the hot-button labor and employment bills we have been tracking all year await final action. Many bills are...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week. Recap of Legislative Bill Activity Last Week
The...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week.
Recap of Legislative Bill Activity Last Week – The...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
Our weekly California Legislature “hot list” provides you with a preview of the bills that are up (as well as other important legislative action) the following week...more
6/16/2017
/ Apprenticeships ,
Cal-OSHA ,
Code of Conduct ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Hotels ,
Human Trafficking ,
LGBTQ ,
Long Term Care Facilities ,
Maternity Leave ,
New Legislation ,
Parental Leave ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Organizers
Several weeks ago, we asked if the concept of portable benefits for gig economy workers was one step closer to reality, with rumors swirling of imminent federal legislation forthcoming. Well, this issue just took a big leap...more
California employers may be able to breathe a sigh of relief – for now. One of the most controversial legislative proposals of the year – AB 5 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) – appears have been...more