With the 2024 California legislative year closed, it is once again time to summarize the new legislation that will affect businesses operating within California and highlight relevant action items related to this legislation....more
10/22/2024
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
California ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Popular ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
State Legislatures ,
Wage and Hour
The California Department of Industrial Relations recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) regarding how claims brought under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) will be handled following recent reform...more
Over the years, California’s Private Attorneys General Act of 2004 (PAGA) has provided a procedurally convenient means for employees to seek expansive penalties for employers’ alleged violations of California’s very technical...more
7/12/2024
/ California ,
Class Action ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Labor Code ,
Labor Law Violations ,
Labor Reform ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) published a model workplace violence prevention plan and fact sheets for applicable industries to help employers comply with SB 553. As we noted in our 2023...more
3/15/2024
/ Cal-OSHA ,
California ,
Deadlines ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Newsom ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Workplace Safety ,
Workplace Violence ,
Workplace Violence Prevention Programs
For some time now, California law has generally prohibited employers from entering into post-employment noncompete agreements with employees unless an exception applies. The basis for this prohibition is found in Section...more
With the 2023 California legislative year closed, it is once again time to summarize the new legislation that will affect businesses operating within the state and highlight relevant action items related to these bills. Below...more
10/24/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Background Checks ,
Defamation ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Discrimination ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Medical Leave ,
Minimum Wage ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Popular ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Retaliation ,
Sick Leave ,
State Labor Laws ,
Venture Capital ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
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
California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) authorizes current and former employees to bring a representative action for civil penalties on behalf of the state against an employer for Labor Code violations committed...more
7/21/2023
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana
California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) is a statute that authorizes employees to bring an action for civil penalties on behalf of the state against an employer for Labor Code violations committed against the...more
6/17/2022
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
Class Action ,
Class Action Arbitration Waivers ,
Employees ,
Employment Litigation ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Iskanian ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
SCOTUS ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Viking River Cruises ,
Viking River Cruises Inc v Moriana
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
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its long-awaited emergency temporary standard (ETS) requiring all employers with a total of 100 or more employees to mandate...more
11/8/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Federal Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Religious Exemption ,
Remote Working ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
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 law generally requires that employers provide nonexempt employees an uninterrupted nonworking 30-minute meal period to begin before the end of the fifth hour of work. These requirements apply even if the employee...more
3/23/2021
/ CA Supreme Court ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Non-Exempt Employees ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Rounding ,
Summary Judgment ,
Timekeeping ,
Wage and Hour
Two recent decisions clarified the circumstances under which California law applies to remote workers. In Bernstein v. Virgin America, Inc., ___ F.3d ___, 2021 WL 686281 (9th Cir. 2021), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the...more
3/22/2021
/ Airline Employees ,
Appeals ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Penalties ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Remote Working ,
State and Local Government ,
Wage and Hour
On January 14, 2021, the California Supreme Court decided Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising International, Inc. The decision holds that the ABC test used to determine independent contractor versus employee status for purposes of...more
1/21/2021
/ ABC Test ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Litigation ,
Former Employee ,
Independent Contractors ,
Misclassification ,
Retroactive Application ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
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
California’s legislative session closed with the state Assembly and Senate signing nearly 40 bills related to employment. Below we summarize the key legislation Governor Gavin Newsom ultimately signed into law, including...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
The California Supreme Court recently issued a decision holding that the time spent on an employer’s premises waiting for and undergoing required exit searches is compensable time that must be paid to employees. The decision...more