If you do business in the city of San Francisco pay attention. Certain employers are covered by the Health Care Security Ordinance (HCSO) and/or the Fair Chance Ordinance (FCO), and are required to submit an annual reporting...more
4/30/2025
/ California ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employer Responsibilities ,
Employment Policies ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Government Agencies ,
Healthcare ,
Penalties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
San Francisco ,
Small Business
As we blogged about previously, the County of Los Angeles will join the City of Los Angeles and have a Fair Work Week Ordinance as of July 1, 2025.
Like the Los Angeles City Ordinance, the County’s Ordinance only effects...more
The allure of doing business in California is undeniable. It is the world’s fifth (and moving towards fourth) largest economy and a market of over 39 million people. For employers, however, California presents unique...more
1/10/2025
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Compliance ,
Employee Benefits ,
Employee Rights ,
Employee Training ,
Employees ,
Employer Liability Issues ,
Employment Contract ,
Employment Litigation ,
Employment Policies ,
Hiring & Firing ,
Labor Reform ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Paid Sick Leave ,
Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) ,
Reasonable Accommodation ,
Risk Management ,
Sexual Harassment ,
State Labor Laws ,
Wage and Hour
Mandatory arbitration is legal in California. As you are updating your handbooks and other policies for 2025, don’t forget to revisit your arbitration agreement. Some key issues to look for include:
•If you have an...more
It can be so confusing to understand whether and when an employee’s missed shift can be grounds for discipline. For example, you can’t discipline an employee, even if they call off at the last minute, if they have statutory...more
We know that many cities in California have their own minimum wages. And we also know that several of those cities had minimum wage increases in July 2024, including: Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville, Fremont, Los Angeles...more
It happens all the time. A poor performing, or even blatant policy-violating former employee applies for unemployment. The immediate reflex by most employers is to contest it. Good idea? Well, it really depends. If the...more
A quick reminder for national Fast Food restaurants, the California minimum wage is going up to $20 per hour as of April 1, 2024. As we wrote in our Alert back in October 2023, AB 1228 created a Fast Food Council in...more
Hospitality employers in California beware. Effective July 1, 2024, California’s Junk Fee Ban (SB 478) will go into effect, making it unlawful to advertise, display or offer a price for a good or service that does not...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
I have often said to clients that retaliation claims in California are the easiest claims to allege and the hardest claims to defend. Regardless of the statute, a retaliation claim is essentially three things:...more
California voters will no longer decide the fate of the controversial Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Act), which was expected to significantly affect fast-food restaurants in the state, including...more
Yes, we are all tired of Covid-19, but it is back with a vengeance this Fall, as are back-to-school colds and soon, the flu. This blog is a quick refresher on what employers need to do, and key resources to refer to....more
In the words of the Los Angeles Times, it is a “Hot Labor Summer” in southern California. At this time:
• The WGA (Writers’ Guild of America) has been on strike since May 2nd (11,000 writers on strike).
• Beginning July...more
As my New York colleagues wrote , the New York Legislature just passed a bill that would prohibit non-competition agreements between employers and employees. If signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York will become the fifth...more
On April 14, 2023, the California Civil Rights Division (“CRD”) updated its frequently asked questions page regarding SB 1162, which sets forth California’s new pay data reporting requirements. The revised April 14th guidance...more
As we blogged about late last year, Los Angeles will have a Fair Work Week Ordinance as of April 1, 2023.
This Ordinance only effects retail businesses with over 300 employees “globally” — but that tally includes those...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
Predictive scheduling laws require employers to post schedules ahead of time, and restrict the ability to make last minute changes. California doesn’t have any statewide predictive scheduling laws. Prior attempts to...more
The state’s minimum wage is going up on January 1, 2023 to $15.50 per hour for employers of all sizes. The state’s minimum wage was originally scheduled to remain at $15.00 in 2023 for employers of 26 or more employees, and...more
How does a California employer prove in litigation that it actually provides rest breaks? How much evidence is enough? Well, after litigating this issue what seems to be hundreds of times, here is the best four step advice I...more
California employers now face derivative liability for failing to list premium payments for meal periods or rest breaks on their wage statements, as well as for failing to pay all premiums timely upon separation.
...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
Getting ready to reopen 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 they differ...more
5/13/2021
/ Anti-Discrimination Policies ,
Anti-Harassment Policies ,
California ,
California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ,
Class Action ,
COBRA ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Discrimination ,
Drug Testing ,
Employee Training ,
FEHA ,
Independent Contractors ,
Minimum Wage ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Paid Leave ,
Paid Time Off (PTO) ,
Pay Data ,
Pregnancy Disability Leave Law ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rest and Meal Break ,
State Labor Laws ,
Telecommuting ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wage Statements ,
Wage Theft ,
Workplace Safety
With so much going on for employers in 2020, let us not forget the #MeToo movement and related changes in California’s laws requiring sexual harassment prevention training. All employers with more than five employees...more