Eight months of legislative wrangling and dealmaking have come to an end as the California Legislature just wrapped up work for the year – and now employers across the Golden State turn their eyes to the governor’s office to...more
9/2/2022
/ Adverse Employment Action ,
Agricultural Sector ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Bereavement Leave ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
Food Service Workers ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Job Applicants ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Retaliation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Supplemental Benefits ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California workplace safety officials just approved a third round of changes to the state’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard, and while many of them conform to recent guidance that have already been incorporated into...more
4/22/2022
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Emergency Rule ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Safety
The last two years have been an interesting respite for California employers. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the legislature – just like other businesses – which resulted in abbreviated legislative schedules, fewer bills...more
2/24/2022
/ B2B Organizations ,
Bereavement Leave ,
Biometric Information ,
California ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Fast-Food Industry ,
FEHA ,
Health and Safety ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Marijuana ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Pay Data ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Restaurant Industry ,
State Labor Laws ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Schedules
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently completed final action on bills that were passed by the state legislature in 2021, and employers are once again faced with a raft of new compliance obligations thanks to several new...more
10/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
Employers monitoring proposed changes to Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) in recent weeks likely have whiplash from trying to keep up with the back-and-forth slew of developments. However, it appears we are close...more
6/15/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Documentation ,
Employee Housing ,
Employment Policies ,
Exclusions ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
Notice Requirements ,
Re-Opening Guidelines ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
After a rollercoaster meeting Thursday where it originally voted down the proposed revisions, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board eventually adopted proposed revisions to the Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) that will establish...more
6/7/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Housing ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Exclusions ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Required Documentation ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
After months of calls for modification to Cal/OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), California is about to adopt significant changes to the standard in light of the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the...more
5/19/2021
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Housing ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Exclusions ,
Exemptions ,
Health and Safety ,
Masks ,
Notice Requirements ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Sick Employees ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
President-elect Biden has unveiled an ambitious legislative package that would serve to not only provide a third wave of economic stimulus relief to address the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic but also transform the American...more
1/21/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employment Policies ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Minimum Wage ,
Paid Leave ,
Relief Measures ,
Small Business ,
Tax Credits ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Vaccinations ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
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 ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Guidance ,
Occupational Exposure ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Social Distancing ,
Vaccinations ,
Virus Testing ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
California Governor Gavin Newsom just announced a Regional Stay Home Order on December 3 that could soon have a dramatic impact on businesses in the state. Unlike previous orders, the Regional Stay Home Order focuses on...more
12/4/2020
/ Business Closures ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Furloughs ,
Governor Newsom ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
Public Health ,
Quarantine ,
Shelter-In-Place ,
Workplace Safety
The Cal/OSHA Standards Board just adopted an emergency standard related to COVID-19 prevention in the workplace, imposing some significant requirements on California employers. Most notably, the new rule finalized yesterday...more
11/20/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Masks ,
New Rules ,
Notification Requirements ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Personal Protective Equipment ,
Quarantine ,
Return-to-Work Agreements ,
Sick Employees ,
Sick Leave ,
Social Distancing ,
Virus Testing ,
Workplace Illness and Injury Reporting ,
Workplace Safety
In an effort to boost the government’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act Saturday, March 14th, an economic stimulus plan aimed...more
3/16/2020
/ Caregivers ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Federal Labor Laws ,
Health and Safety ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medical Testing ,
Paid Leave ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health ,
Sick Leave ,
Tax Credits ,
Trump Administration ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unpaid Leave ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Safety
After reviewing the 2,203 pieces of proposed legislation introduced in the California legislature by the February 21 deadline, it’s obvious that one issue will dominate debate in the 2020 session: the continued fallout from...more
3/2/2020
/ ABC Test ,
Dynamex ,
Employee Definition ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Exemptions ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gig Economy ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Labor Regulations ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Misclassification ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
California employers just received a last-minute reprieve from complying with a newly enacted law that aims to prevent them from utilizing mandatory arbitration agreements with their employees – at least for now. A federal...more
Following San Francisco’s lead, California will soon significantly expand the obligation of most employers to provide break time and a location to express breast milk. The new law, just signed into effect by Governor Newsom...more
10/11/2019
/ Breastfeeding ,
Employee Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Governor Newsom ,
Lactation Accommodation ,
New Legislation ,
Parental Leave ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws
Governor Newsom recently signed legislation to provide that prohibited employment discrimination based on race under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) also includes discrimination based on hair texture and protective...more
7/8/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Dress Codes ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Policies ,
FEHA ,
Governor Newsom ,
Hairstyle Discrimination ,
New Legislation ,
Race Discrimination ,
State Labor Laws
A measure currently pending in the California Legislature, and garnering wide bipartisan support, would provide that prohibited employment discrimination based on race under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) also...more
While much of the attention this midterm election has been focused on Congress and federal issues - the “blue wave” and a “referendum” on the Trump presidency - California employers know all too well that employment and labor...more
11/7/2018
/ #MeToo ,
ABC Test ,
Administrative Appointments ,
Arbitration ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Earned Income Credit ,
Earned Income Tax ,
Election Results ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Entrepreneurs ,
Freelance Workers ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Equity ,
General Elections ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Governors ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Immigration Procedures ,
Independent Contractors ,
Law Enforcement ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Misclassification ,
Pay Equity Laws ,
Pay Gap ,
Political Candidates ,
Popular ,
Portable Benefits ,
Presidential Nominations ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Labor Laws ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Visas
Wrapping up a whirlwind weekend, California Governor Jerry Brown just signed several pieces of legislation that will create new employer obligations in the areas of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Specifically,...more
10/2/2018
/ #MeToo ,
Agricultural Workers ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Board of Directors ,
Breastfeeding ,
Bystander ,
Cal Code of Civil Procedure ,
Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) ,
Construction Industry ,
Construction Workers ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Policies ,
Exempt-Employees ,
FEHA ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Governor Brown ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Hospitality Industry ,
Hotels ,
Human Trafficking ,
Joint and Several Liability ,
Joint Liability ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Motor Carriers ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Non-Disparagement Provisions ,
OSHA ,
Ports ,
Privacy Laws ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Record Retention ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
Section 998 ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Sex Discrimination ,
Sexual Assault ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Testimony ,
Third-Party Liability ,
Transportation Industry ,
Trucking Industry ,
Undue Hardship ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour
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
9/17/2018
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Appeals ,
Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Background Checks ,
CA Supreme Court ,
Class Action ,
Collective Action Waivers ,
Consumer Credit Reporting Agencies Act (CCRAA) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Failed Legislation ,
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Freedom of Religion ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Gig Economy ,
Governor Baker ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Independent Contractors ,
Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act (ICRAA) ,
Licenses ,
Misclassification ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
OFCCP ,
Opinion Letter ,
Opioid ,
Over-Time ,
Pay Gap ,
Pending Legislation ,
Portable Benefits ,
Restrictive Covenants ,
Ridesharing ,
Right to Work ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Union Dues ,
Unions ,
Wage and Hour ,
Workplace Injury
Issues related to immigration status, national security policy, and country of origin continue to be a hot topic of animated discussion at the federal level. In the midst of this national debate, California has amended its...more
6/25/2018
/ Amended Regulation ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
Anti-Retaliation Provisions ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
English-Only Rules ,
FEHC ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Human Trafficking ,
Job Applicants ,
National Origin ,
National Origin Discrimination ,
Recruitment Policies ,
Undocumented Immigrants ,
Unfair Immigration-Related Practices
California employers will soon need to adjust themselves to a new reality once again as a number of new workplace restrictions have been passed by the state legislature and just signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown. State...more
10/17/2017
/ Ban the Box ,
Burden of Proof ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Collective Bargaining ,
Conditional Job Offers ,
Construction Project ,
DFEH ,
Employee Training ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Discrimination ,
Employment Eligibility Verification ,
Employment Policies ,
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) ,
Form I-9 ,
Fringe Benefits ,
Gender Identity ,
General Contractors ,
Governor Brown ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Job Applicants ,
Joint Liability ,
New Legislation ,
Notice Requirements ,
Parental Leave ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Retaliation ,
Salary/Wage History ,
Sexual Harassment ,
Sexual Orientation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Subcontractors ,
Trump Administration ,
Unpaid Wages ,
Whistleblowers
On October 5, Governor Brown signed AB 450, which will go into effect on January 1, 2018. Among other things, AB 450 prohibits employers from voluntary consenting to ICE access to the worksite without a judicial warrant,...more
10/6/2017
/ DACA ,
Deportation ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Form I-9 ,
Governor Brown ,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ,
Immigration Enforcement ,
New Legislation ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Raids ,
Sanctuary Cities ,
SEIU ,
State Labor Laws ,
Statutory Penalties ,
Subpoenas ,
Travel Ban ,
Trump Administration ,
Warrants ,
Workplace Investigations