California state and local governmental bodies—our state legislature, and counties and cities—were active again this year in their efforts to regulate the workplace. Littler Workplace Policy Institute has been tracking these...more
10/6/2022
/ Amended Regulation ,
California ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employees ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
It used to be that employers had the luxury of waiting until January 1 to be vigilant for new employment laws and compliant challenges. For the past several years, we have reported on employment and labor laws taking effect...more
6/23/2022
/ Compensation & Benefits ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gig Economy ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour
On Friday, January 7, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral argument regarding two of the Biden administration’s most contentious COVID-19 workplace health and safety policies: the Occupational Safety and Health...more
1/5/2022
/ Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employer Mandates ,
Healthcare Workers ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Oral Argument ,
OSHA ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
2021 saw state and local legislatures shifting their focus away from COVID-19 measures back to traditional employment law matters. Although two states and the District of Columbia have COVID-19 related legislation going into...more
11/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Disability Discrimination ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Human Trafficking ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
New Legislation ,
Retirement Plan ,
State Labor Laws ,
Tips ,
Wage and Hour
California is at it again – adopting a host of new labor and employment laws that will further regulate and complicate business operations in the Golden State. Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute has been tracking these...more
10/12/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Governor Vetoes ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Regulations ,
Minimum Wage ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Severance Pay ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
Over the past few years, cities have started to implement workplace regulation, an area previously reserved to federal and state governments. The hotel industry, which often is one of the primary drivers of a local economy,...more
On May 18, 2021, the Santa Clara County Health Officer issued an order (May Order) that included a first-of-its-kind vaccination benchmarking mandate. On June 21, 2021, the Health Officer issued another order (June Order)...more
Dear Littler: We are a retail chain on the West Coast and are almost back to pre-COVID-19 operational levels. Now that vaccines are widely available, we’re hoping our workforce (and the public!) will soon be fully vaccinated....more
6/14/2021
/ Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ,
Civil Rights Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Policies ,
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Public Health ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Title VII ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The pandemic seems not to have slowed down state and local lawmakers. Indeed, over 100 new labor and employment laws and ordinances are scheduled to take effect between July 1, 2021 and November 1, 2021. Notably, while some...more
6/9/2021
/ Ban the Box ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Gig Economy ,
Hazard Pay ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Reform ,
Labor Regulations ,
Labor Relations ,
Layoffs ,
Masks ,
Pregnancy Discrimination ,
Vaccine Passports ,
Wage and Hour ,
WARN Act ,
Workplace Safety
In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, health officials in several Northern California counties were among the first to act, issuing orders addressing public health and safety....more
...more
5/3/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Retention ,
Furloughs ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Labor Regulations ,
Layoffs ,
Local Ordinance ,
Right of Recall ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
Just about a year ago, in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic activity in many sectors went from red hot to nearly frozen, seemingly overnight. The hospitality industry was particularly hard hit, as business...more
4/19/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Employee Retention ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
Local Ordinance ,
New Legislation ,
Rehiring Issues ,
Right of Recall ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws
On December 18, 2020, California’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (Standards Board)1 conducted a Stakeholders Meeting to address employer concerns about the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) issued...more
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the closure of the California Legislature for long stretches of time this year. The work of the body continued on, however, and at the end of the session it passed the usual flurry of labor...more
10/2/2020
/ ABC Test ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Gig Economy ,
Independent Contractors ,
Infectious Diseases ,
New Legislation ,
Sick Leave ,
State and Local Government ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment
Signed into law on September 28, 2020, AB 1731 moves California’s work sharing program into the 21st century by mandating an online application process and specific deadlines for delivering claim forms. Work sharing is an...more
9/30/2020
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
EDD ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Flexible Work Arrangements ,
Furloughs ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Layoffs ,
New Legislation ,
State Labor Laws ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wage and Hour ,
Work Share