The California Supreme Court just ruled that public employers are not subject to civil penalties under the state’s Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA). In a pivotal decision, the court held that public entities,...more
When I reflect on the relationship that our firm has with our clients, I’m most proud of the fact that you can always count on us. That often means defending complex litigation, steering you through regulatory threats,...more
12/4/2023
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You may have read recent headlines about companies making moves to bring more workers back onsite. Even Zoom — the online meeting platform that got many people through the pandemic — is calling for a bigger in-person presence...more
The California Court of Appeal issued a blow to employers this week by taking yet another step toward eliminating their ability to round employee time punches. Although the California Supreme Court will ultimately weigh in,...more
The California Supreme Court ignored guidance from the U.S. Supreme Court Monday when it ruled that employees can still proceed with parts of their lawsuits against employers even if the PAGA portions of their claims are...more
The California Supreme Court handed employers a win last week by making it clear that they do not have a duty to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to employees' household members. The court didn’t go so far as to say such claims...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
Employers can benefit from using software programs to streamline their hiring process, but federal agencies just sent a stern warning that relying on algorithms and artificial intelligence (AI) to make staffing decisions...more
5/17/2022
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Artificial Intelligence ,
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Reasonable Accommodation
After the news yesterday that a federal court judge struck down the CDC’s mask mandate for airplanes, mass transportation, and transit hubs, many employers immediately wondered what it might mean for their business. Though...more
4/19/2022
/ Airlines ,
Business Travel ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
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Federal workplace safety officials just released the mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule, and employers are sure to have questions. The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) developed by the Occupational Safety and...more
11/5/2021
/ Best Practices ,
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As employers implement their own internal COVID-19 protocols and procedures, many have the additional burden of complying with third-party vaccine policies or enforcing their own vaccine policies upon non-employees such as...more
10/27/2021
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The Santa Clara County Health Officer just issued a new order phasing out the May 18 Order that had introduced a vaccine-tracking mandate for employers, relieving employers of the administrative burden imposed by the...more
Businesses in Santa Clara County must get ready to comply with the County’s new vaccine tracking mandate by no later than June 1. The County of Santa Clara Emergency Operations Center issued a May 18 Order of The Health...more
5/25/2021
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Now that the country is on course to see all adult Americans eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in a matter of days, and an increasing number of employees are returning to the workplace, vaccination status is likely to be an...more
After patiently waiting for COVID-19 vaccine guidance in California, employers now have some clarification from California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH). As somewhat expected, the DFEH’s guidance issued...more
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 ,
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California employers have been faced with an endless uptick of claims filed under the Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 – also known as PAGA – alleging violations of any of the hundreds of enumerated provisions of the...more
9/30/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Code ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Workplace Hazards ,
Workplace Safety
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 ,
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NLRB ,
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Wrongful Death
A California state court just created a controversy for those employers in the state that provide unlimited vacation policies for their exempt workers, holding that in some such instances you may need to pay out vacation time...more