Effective immediately, most California businesses with more than 500 workers nationwide must comply with AB 1867. This “urgency statute” mandates up to 80 hours of paid sick leave for reasons related to COVID-19 illnesses. The law’s intent is to cover California...

The California Supreme Court issued several employment law decisions during the past year.  We summarize below the most important of these rulings

Newly revised anti-employment discrimination regulations, effective July 1, 2020, focus on pre-employment practices that likely are common in many industries. Employers should review application materials and hiring practices to ensure compliance with the new rules....

The United States Supreme Court issued several decisions during the October 2019 Term, which may affect California employers.  We review those decisions below. Babb v. Wilkie The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 prohibits employment discrimination against...

Governments’ efforts to address the novel coronavirus pandemic include measures that closed or curtailed many businesses’ operations. As governments relax these restrictions, businesses must hire, rehire, or recall employees who were laid off or paid to be on call....

Federal, state, and local governments have responded to hardships the Coronavirus pandemic has wrought on businesses and their workers.  Employment-related measures include new and expanded paid leave programs, in part designed to mitigate disruptions caused by school...

Many California employers have temporarily curtailed or even closed operations as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.  Even temporary layoffs may require employers to distribute notices under federal or California laws known as “WARN Acts.”  The Worker Adjustment and...

Employers must compensate employees for the time they spend waiting for management to inspect personal property before they leave work. That is the California Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Frlekin v. Apple Inc., which is based on California’s longstanding...

Employers may have legitimate reasons to impose a dress code, set minimum grooming standards, or even mandate uniforms. These interests range from safety to branding, or customer satisfaction. California recently passed a law that affects employers’ discretion to set...

The U.S. Department of Labor recently revised its regulations governing the calculation of the “regular rate of pay.” That is the hourly rate used to calculate the overtime premium due hourly workers. The revised rules are effective January 15, 2020. These amendments...

California’s new independent contractor law, Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”), creates a strong legislative preference in favor of employer-employee relationships. As a result, few independent contractor relationships will be lawful after January 1, 2020. Misclassification of...

A raft of new employment laws take effect on January 1, 2020. To help employers prioritize the many required changes to policies, forms, and procedures, we provide a non-exhaustive list of matters requiring employers’ attention by year’s end.  This discussion may not...