The new California employment-related laws that came out of the 2023 legislative session address a number of issues that will affect many employers. Leave (paid family leave, sick leave, and reproductive loss leave),...more
Governor Newsom recently signed into law numerous bills that will affect California employers come January 1, 2024. Here is a quick overview of some of the new law that are relevant for employers....more
11/7/2023
/ Accrued Benefits ,
Arbitration ,
Cannabis Products ,
Drug Testing ,
Governor Newsom ,
Marijuana ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Notice Requirements ,
Off-Duty Employees ,
Paid Leave ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Violence
On October 4, 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) No. 616 into law. SB 616 amends California’s paid sick leave law to expand mandatory paid sick leave from three days or twenty-four hours to five days or forty...more
On September 28, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 1228 into law, repealing the FAST Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act) (AB 257) and replacing it with a...more
On January 20, 2023, San Francisco Mayor London Breed approved a city ordinance that will require large, private employers to provide differential paid leave for military reservists called up to active duty. The “Military...more
On February 7, 2022, the California legislature passed legislation reviving COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL). The law creates new California Labor Code Section 248.6 and takes effect ten days after Governor Newsom...more
On January 31, 2022, the California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill (AB) No. 257, the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act), which would potentially provide increased rights to the...more
On January 25, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom and California legislative leaders announced they have reached an agreement to require employers again to provide COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave (SPSL), which...more
On November 30, 2020, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, more commonly known as Cal/OSHA, adopted COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for California. Among other topics, the ETS...more
On March 16, 2021, the City Council of Costa Mesa, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for retail grocery and pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Costa Mesa is a large city in Orange...more
3/23/2021
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Pharmacies ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
Within days, California employers may have to provide employees with even more COVID-19–related paid leave. On March 18, 2021, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill 95, which creates new Labor Code Section 248.2 and...more
3/22/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
First Responders ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Beginning March 29, 2021, California employers with more than 25 employees nationally will have to pay their California employees with up to 80 hours of COVID-19–related paid leave. On March 19, 2021, Governor Gavin Newsom...more
On March 15, 2021, the City Council of West Hollywood added new categories of workers to its existing hero pay mandate of $5.00 per hour worked for large-chain grocery store employees. The new ordinance goes into effect on...more
The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) recently updated its “Guide to COVID-19 Related Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]” to include wage and hour issues and vaccinations. If an employer requires employees to...more
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of San Mateo, California, adopted “An Emergency Ordinance Requiring Large Grocery Stores and Large Drugstores to Provide Hazard Pay to their Employees” to ease the burdens caused by the...more
3/17/2021
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pharmacies ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On March 1, 2021, the City Council of Pomona, California, passed an ordinance that establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pomona is an incorporated city located in Los Angeles County and...more
3/12/2021
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Retail Workers ,
Retailers ,
Wage and Hour
On March 2, 2021, the City Council of Santa Ana, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for grocery and retail pharmacy workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Santa Ana is the county seat of Orange...more
3/12/2021
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Municipalities ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Pharmacies ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On February 25, 2021, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied a motion for preliminary injunction brought by the California Grocers Association (CGA) against the City of Long Beach. In California...more
3/8/2021
/ Constitutional Challenges ,
Contract Terms ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Equal Protection ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
NLRA ,
Preemption ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
State Constitutions ,
Strict Scrutiny Standard ,
Trade Associations ,
Wage and Hour
On February 16, 2021, the City Council of San Leandro, California, passed an ordinance titled “Retail Food Worker Hazard Pay Ordinance,” which establishes premium pay for retail food workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. San...more
2/25/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Operators of Essential Services ,
Pharmacies ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On February 23, 2021, the City Council of Irvine, California, passed a hero pay ordinance entitling retail grocery store and drug store workers premium pay for hours worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. Irvine is located in...more
2/25/2021
/ Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Covered Employees ,
Covered Employer ,
Essential Workers ,
Grocery Store Workers ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hazard Pay ,
Local Ordinance ,
Notice Requirements ,
Pharmacies ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Wage and Hour
On February 16, 2021, the City Council of West Hollywood, California, passed an urgency ordinance establishing premium pay for grocery workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. West Hollywood is located in central Los Angeles...more
On January 27, 2021, the City Council of Montebello, California, passed an ordinance titled “Premium Pay for Grocery and Drug Store Workers Ordinance.” Montebello is an incorporated city located in Los Angeles County,...more
On February 10, 2021, the City Council of Coachella, California, passed the “Premium Pay for Agricultural, Grocery, Restaurant, and Retail Pharmacy Workers Ordinance.” Coachella is located in Riverside County, California....more
On February 2, 2021, the City Council of Oakland, California, passed the “Grocery Worker Hazard Pay Emergency Ordinance” to provide a boost in pay for frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oakland is located in...more
On September 30, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1512, which amends California Labor Code Section 226.7 by authorizing employers to require certain unionized private security officers “to remain on the...more