What’s New in Employment Law?

In 2023, Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 525, which established five separate minimum wage schedules for certain covered health care facilities, effective June 1, 2024. However, due to a projected state budget deficit, Governor Newsom recently signed SB 828,...

The use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) is on the rise everywhere – including in the workplace. Although it can be a useful time-saving tool, employers must ensure that their use of AI does not violate applicable employment laws. Let’s start with the basics.  What...

It’s the time of year when many employers will be hiring minors for the summer, which comes with unique challenges and requirements. We highlight the key issues below. Work Permits. With few exceptions, minors under 18 years old must have a permit to work and...

We love reporting a rare win for employers in the California Supreme Court! Last week, the Court ruled that employers can avoid the often substantial penalties accompanying wage statement violations by proving that their noncompliance was not “knowing and...

For the first time since the 1990s, the EEOC has issued new enforcement guidance on workplace harassment – applying existing law to the modern workplace. The Guidance is not binding law, but it provides valuable insight as to how the law will be enforced. The Guidance...

On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a final rule banning noncompete agreements nationwide. Of course, most California employers already think of noncompetes as things of the past (see our previous posts about California’s recent...

The EEOC has finally published its long-awaited final regulation implementing the federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”), which is effective on June 18, 2024. As you may recall, the PWFA “requires covered entities to make reasonable accommodations to a...

For any number of reasons, employers may find themselves lacking sufficient documentation supporting their legitimate, business-related reasons for employment-related decisions. Maybe they’ve been avoiding uncomfortable conversations with an employee. Or HR has an...

In the four years since the COVID-19 pandemic made “telework” a household name, many employers have permitted employees to stay home or work a hybrid schedule. However, more and more employers are requiring employees to return to in-person work. As a result, we...

Last week, the California Supreme Court published a much-anticipated opinion related to when an employer’s control over an employee’s activities constitutes “hours worked.” Although the Huerta v. CSI Electrical Contractors opinion primarily relates to rules governing...