Starting September 3, 2024, employers must comply with involved new requirements if they wish to consider criminal backgrounds in making hiring or promotional decisions for positions that will perform work in any...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth largest economy (moving toward fourth) and a market of more than 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
2/12/2024
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Fair Workweek ,
FEHA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Safety
California has no love for employers this Valentine’s Day. The deadline for employers to give their California employees who signed unlawful noncompetes written notice that the agreements or provisions are “void” is February...more
No later than July 1, 2024, covered California employers must implement extensive workplace violence prevention plans (WVPP) and deliver specified training to employees under new legislation signed by Governor Gavin Newsom on...more
This post is part of Experience Matters, a series drawing on my 30+ years of defending employers in California employment litigation. The series highlights actions you can take to reduce risk – and worry less – as you manage...more
Another wave of minimum wage increases will roll through in about two weeks. On July 1, the minimum wage rates that must be paid in cities and counties across California will rise. The local minimum wage increases going...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth largest economy (moving toward fourth) and a market of more than 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
1/20/2023
/ Age Discrimination ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Fair Chance Act ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Fair Workweek ,
FEHA ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
Minimum Wage ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Leave ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Work Schedules ,
Workplace Safety
Three bills signed by Governor Gavin Newsom last week once again modify employers’ obligations to California employees who are exposed to or contract COVID-19. The most important aspects of this round of mutations in...more
Starting January 1, 2023, California employers will be required to include in job postings the pay range for the position and to disclose to current employees on their request the pay range for the position they hold. Senate...more
In a much-needed win for employers, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that waivers of employees’ individual claims under California’s Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) are enforceable. The court’s decision in Viking...more
Getting ready to return to the office in California and need a refresher on what makes California law “special”?
Have plans to open an office/location somewhere in California and want to understand what laws apply and how...more
3/14/2022
/ Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Ban the Box ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Discrimination ,
Fair Pay Act ,
Over-Time ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Pregnancy ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Reimbursements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
Employers in the hotel, event center, airport and private club sectors and those providing services to commercial buildings must now give employees who were laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic preferential recall rights...more
4/20/2021
/ Airports ,
Business Interruption ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DLSE ,
Furloughs ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Labor Commissioners ,
Layoffs ,
Right of Recall ,
State Labor Laws
Beginning Monday, March 29, 2021, employers must begin providing California employees a new form of COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. The new version reaches small and large employers alike and mandates that employers...more
3/24/2021
/ Caregivers ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Child Care ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Full-Time Employees ,
Governor Newsom ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Part-Time Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Written Notice
The deadline for employers to file their first annual pay data report with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) – March 31 — is fast approaching. For employers scrambling to comply, a reprieve is...more
Newly posted FAQs bring employers welcome help in understanding what they need to do to satisfy Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary COVID-19 Standards (ETS). These are key takeaways from the nearly 40 new FAQs posted on January 8,...more
As the sun rises on New Year’s Day 2021, California employment law will once again become more involved and challenging. For many employers, the following are the top five developments they most need to prepare for...more
FAQs released yesterday by the State of California are must-read guidance for employers in complying with Cal/OSHA’s new Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulation. Employers should make distilling from the FAQs what is...more
The Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulation adopted by Cal/OSHA late this month will go into effect as early as Monday, November 30, 2020. When it becomes effective, the regulation will be the most sweeping and demanding...more
11/25/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety
On November 19, 2020, the board responsible for issuing Cal/OSHA regulations will vote on whether to adopt what would be the first Cal/OSHA regulation of employers concerning COVID-19, in particular. If adopted, the...more
How employers will need to defend California employment lawsuits, Labor Commissioner actions and even arbitrations must evolve come the New Year due to changes in the law that become effective January 1, 2021. In this post, I...more
10/29/2020
/ Arbitration ,
Attorney's Fees ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Labor Commissioners ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Whistleblowers
Employees who suffer physical or mental injury due to a crime will be entitled to job-protected leave and other protections from their employers under legislation signed this week by Governor Gavin Newsom. Employers will bear...more
Anticipation mounts as we watch for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s action on bills of immediate importance to employers. The Governor has until September 30, 2020 to sign or veto the following bills of concern:
SB 1383...more
9/14/2020
/ California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DFEH ,
DLSE ,
EEO-1 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Layoffs ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workers' Compensation Claim
Effective July 1, the minimum wage jumps up yet again in localities throughout California. The minimum wage hikes come in the midst of a pandemic and one of the most difficult economic periods in decades when many employers...more