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State Labor Laws California Wage and Hour

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California State Minimum Wage for 2026 Announced

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California’s Department of Finance recently announced the minimum wage increase for 2026. The minimum wage in California will increase from $16.50 per hour to $16.90 perhour on January 1, 2026. This increase applies to all...more

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Minimum Wage Good Faith Defense and Labor Commissioner Appeal Scope

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The California Supreme Court held that an employer must prove that it made a reasonable attempt to decipher the requirements of the law governing minimum wages in order to avail itself of the good faith defense against...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Employer’s Ignorance of the Law is Not a Good Faith Defense for Failing to Pay Minimum Wages, California Supreme Court Says

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Last week, in Iloff v. LaPaille, the California Supreme Court made clear the burden on employers when asserting a good faith defense to avoid paying liquidated damages for violations of minimum wage laws. In its long-awaited...more

Littler

California Supreme Court Issues Decision on Good-Faith Defense for Minimum Wage Violations and Enforcement of Paid Leave...

Littler on

In Iloff v. LaPaille, the California Supreme Court addressed when “liquidated” or double damages may be avoided by an employer for minimum wage violations and how employees can pursue paid leave claims under California’s...more

Maison Law

California Agricultural Worker's Rights

Maison Law on

Agriculture is an essential sector for the development and continued sustenance of any State and thus should be treated with the respect it deserves. This is why California has been enforcing various laws aimed at protecting...more

Whiteford

Employment Law Update: Danger, Employers, Danger! How Machine Intelligence Is Pushing White-Collar Employees Toward Overtime...

Whiteford on

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly automating the very tasks that once anchored white-collar exemptions under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and comparable state laws. When algorithms screen résumés, rank...more

Weintraub Tobin

California Minimum Wage Set to Increase in 2026

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On January 1, 2026, California’s state minimum wage will increase by 40 cents per hour, to $16.90 per hour. This adjustment is a 2.49% increase based on federal inflation data (the U.S. Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage...more

Weintraub Tobin

California Employment News: California Wage Compliance – Avoiding Legal Pitfalls

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Whether setting pay for a new hire or adjusting compensation for a current employee, employers must navigate a range of legal considerations. In this episode of California Employment News, Weintraub employment attorneys...more

Buchalter

California Expands Protections for Tipped Employees —New Requirements for Employers Begin January 1, 2026

Buchalter on

On July 30, 2025, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 648 into law, amending the Labor Code to strengthen protections for employee gratuities. Under the new law, if customer pays a gratuity by credit card, then the business...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Coming to an Employer Near You – the $16.90 Minimum Wage!

It’s that time of year, folks—the dog days of August, when vacations are booked, beaches are crowded, and the Department of Finance menacingly recalculates California’s minimum wage. As instructed by statute, August 1st is...more

Conn Maciel Carey LLP

[Webinar] How Safety Impacts the Workplace Beyond OSHA: Labor/Employee Relations, W&H, Unfair Competition - August 27th, 10:00 am...

Conn Maciel Carey LLP on

An employer’s safety program can intersect with numerous aspects of a company’s operations from employment law compliance to labor relations, and beyond. Join our California team as we don both our labor & employment and...more

Weintraub Tobin

California Employment News: CA Local Minimum Wage Updates

Weintraub Tobin on

Some California cities have raised their local minimum wage above the state rate of $16.50. In this episode of California Employment News, Weintraub Tobin attorneys Nikki Mahmoudi and Chris Horsley cover key updates in cities...more

Fisher Phillips

California Minimum Wage Will Increase to $16.90 For All Businesses on January 1, 2026: What Employers Should Do Now

Fisher Phillips on

California officials just announced that the statewide minimum wage will increase for all employers to $16.90 on January 1, 2026, as required by the state’s annual inflation-based adjustment process. The Department of Finance...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

California Minimum Wage Look to Rise to $16.90 in 2026

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Section 1182.12 requires the California Department of Finance to calculate the appropriate state minimum wage adjustment annually based on cost of living changes....more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

California Court of Appeal Clarifies Sick Leave Calculation for Outside Sales Employees

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A recent California Court of Appeal decision provides clarity for employers with commissioned outside sales employees. In Hirdman v. Charter Communications, the court confirmed that employers may calculate paid sick leave for...more

Weintraub Tobin

(Podcast) California Employment News: CA Local Minimum Wage Updates

Weintraub Tobin on

Some California cities have raised their local minimum wage above the state rate of $16.50. In this episode of California Employment News, Weintraub Tobin attorneys Nikki Mahmoudi and Chris Horsley cover key updates in cities...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Tips on Tips

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Tips are a trending topic in the news. The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”, signed into law on July 4, 2025, created a new federal income deduction for tip earnings which raised awareness around tips. Now, California has passed...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Legislation Grants Authority to California Labor Commissioner to Enforce Labor Code Provisions Related to Gratuities

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California Governor Newsom recently signed Senate Bill (SB) 648, which authorizes the state’s Labor Commissioner to investigate and issue a citation or file a civil action for gratuities taken or withheld in violation of the...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

California Court Upholds Prospective Meal Period Waivers

In a favorable decision for California employers, the Court of Appeal in Bradsbery et al. v. Vicar Operating, Inc., 110 Cal.App.5th 899, affirmed that employers and employees can enter into prospective, written, and revocable...more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Local Labor Code Enforcement May Rise

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The California Labor Commissioner’s Office, the agency that enforces a wide range of the state’s labor laws, has awarded $8.55 million in grants to 16 local prosecutors to step up enforcement of labor laws. This funding, part...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

July 2025 California Employment Law Notes

We invite you to review our newly-posted, July 2025 California Employment Law Notes, a comprehensive review of the latest and most significant developments in California employment law...more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

“Headless” PAGA Action May Proceed In Court

CRST Expedited, Inc. v. Superior Court, 2025 WL 1874891 (Cal. Ct. App. 2025) - Espiridion Sanchez filed this PAGA action against his former employer on behalf of himself and other allegedly “aggrieved employees.”...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

CA’s Fifth Appellate District Wades Into “Headless” PAGA Debate

CDF Labor Law LLP on

While we are waiting for the CA Supreme Court in Leeper v. Shipt to address whether “headless” PAGA claims (i.e., where PAGA representative plaintiffs disavow the “individual” portion of a PAGA claim) are a permissible end...more

Berkshire

July California Minimum Wage Increases

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On January 1, 2025, California increased their state minimum wage to $16.50 per hour for all employers, regardless of size. While California may have one of the highest state-mandated minimum wages, voters rejected the...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

Reminder: Minimum Wage Hikes Take Effect Tomorrow (July 1)

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On July 1, 2025 new increased minimum wage rates will be effective in many California cities and counties. Many municipalities are increasing the minimum wage across the board, and others have industry-specific increases....more

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