The California Supreme Court issued its decision in Castellanos v. State (Castellanos) on July 25, 2024, ruling Proposition 22 (Prop 22), the initiative that allows businesses to classify drivers for app-based transportation...more
8/22/2024
/ CA Supreme Court ,
California ,
Compensation & Benefits ,
Delivery Drivers ,
Independent Contractors ,
Mobile Apps ,
New Legislation ,
State Constitutions ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Unions ,
Workers’ Compensation
The director of California’s Department of Finance has certified that the state’s minimum wage will increase from $16 per hour to $16.50 per hour for all employers as of January 1, 2025. Companies with operations in...more
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 848 on October 10, 2023. This new law expands California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to provide covered employees with protected leave after a reproductive...more
10/19/2023
/ Bereavement Leave ,
California ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Legislative Agendas ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government
As most companies are aware, absent specific exceptions, under California Business and Professions Code (Code) Section 16600, California generally prohibits employers from entering into contracts with employees that preclude...more
With the 2022 California legislative year closed, it is once again time to examine the new legislation that will affect entities operating within the state. Summaries of key legislation are below, with relevant action items...more
10/25/2022
/ Bereavement Leave ,
Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Reporting ,
Employee Tracking ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Pay Transparency ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statute of Limitations ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act
President Biden signed H.R. 4445, the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (the Act), into law on March 3, 2022. Effective immediately, the Act amends the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to...more
3/9/2022
/ Amended Legislation ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Biden Administration ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mandatory Arbitration Clauses ,
New Legislation ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment
With the 2021 California legislative year closed, it is now time to examine the new legislation that will affect California companies. We have summarized the key new legislation below, with relevant action items noted....more
10/26/2021
/ Arbitration ,
California ,
Compliance ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Piece-Rate Pay ,
Reporting Requirements ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tips ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Warehouses ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed into law California Senate Bill 331 (SB‑331) titled the “Silenced No More Act.” SB‑331 expands two of California’s existing laws regarding employee settlement agreements and...more
On Election Day 2020, California voters approved Proposition 22 which allows some gig economy companies to continue to classify drivers as independent contractors. These app-based drivers also will be guaranteed minimum...more
The “ABC test” now used in California to make determinations regarding the validity of independent contractor classifications initially was adopted by the California Supreme Court in Dynamex Operations W. v. Superior Court, 4...more
9/14/2020
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Dynamex ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Enforcement ,
Exemptions ,
Governor Newsom ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
State and Local Government
With the California legislative year now closed, we know which proposals became reality and offer insight into their likely impact on California employers in the coming year. The following update provides a brief overview of...more
11/6/2019
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
DFEH ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
FEHA ,
Flexible Spending Accounts ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New Legislation ,
OSHA ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Title VII
California Governor Gavin Newsom passed Senate Bill 188, known as the Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (C.R.O.W.N.) Act, earlier this month which expanded existing anti-discrimination state law to...more
7/30/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
New Legislation ,
Race Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws
The Immigrant Worker Protection Act, California Assembly Bill 450 (AB 450), went into effect in California on January 1, 2018. AB 450 prohibits both public and private California employers from voluntarily consenting to a...more
Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 63 last month, which makes CFRA applicable to businesses with 20+ employees. Under the bill, the California Government Code will be amended as of January 1, 2018 to permit eligible employees...more
Recently, Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 1241, which addresses choice-of-law and venue provisions in employment contracts that are entered into, modified or extended on or after January 1, 2017. Under the bill, the...more
Two new statutes, signed into law by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey this legislative session, attempt to set new standards on defining the independent contractor relationship and how wages are regulated. Below is a description...more
Although some states have long imposed personal liability on officers and directors for unpaid wages, the laws in both California and New York have recently been amended to address personal liability. This update addresses...more