Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
At the start of June 2022, the City of Los Angeles approved an ordinance to raise the minimum wage for certain healthcare workers at privately-owned healthcare facilities within the city.
Since June, more cities have passed nearly identical ordinances.
All ordinances apply only to privately owned healthcare facilities including:
…
A bill to increase pay transparency in California steps closer to becoming law.
Senate Bill 1162, introduced in February and with some amendments since its initial form, passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee on August 11. Only a few steps are left before it could become law this legislative session: (1) a full Assembly…
In April 2021, the 9th Circuit panel held that the application of California Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) to motor carriers is not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (FAAAA). Under AB 5, the test for whether a worker is appropriately classified as an independent contractor became more stringent, creating…
Under California Labor Code 2802, employers are required to reimburse employees for necessary expenses incurred in executing their job duties for their employer. This reimbursement requirement may apply to the use of the employee’s personal vehicle for work purposes, such as driving between work sites. An employee’s regular commute does not typically require reimbursement, just…
On January 1, 2022, California’s statewide minimum wage increased to $15.00 ($14.00 for employers with 25 employees or less). A statewide minimum of $15.00 for all businesses was scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2023. However, as a result of rates of inflation of over 7%, a further statutory increase has been triggered…
The underlying action, Naranjo v. Spectrum Security Services, was a class action brought by former and current employees, alleging violations of meal period violations. The plaintiffs sought not only premium wages for the violations but also waiting time penalties and penalties for failure to provide accurate wage statements. The results of the trial court…
Over the last 12 months, many employees have started to return to work at a worksite other than their home, even though some remain remote or partially remote. Employers may need a refresher on commute time for employees.
Under the California Wage Orders, hours worked are defined as the time during which an employee is…
In 2017, California started its stair-step climb to a $15.00 minimum wage, allowing smaller businesses with 25 employees or less to raise their minimum wage on a delayed schedule from larger businesses. All employers regardless of size were scheduled to be at the same minimum wage of $15.00 per hour effective January 1, 2023.
However,…
Under California law, employees normally accrue daily overtime for hours worked over 8 hours in a day. Alternative workweek schedules (AWS) permit workplaces to adopt different schedules longer than 8 hours without accruing overtime. This may be needed due to health and safety concerns or industry practices that mandate longer shifts. It may also be…
Early in the 2022 Legislative Session, Assembly Bill (AB) 2932 was introduced and was known as the four-day workweek bill. It sought to change when an employee would be paid one and one-half times their regular rate of pay by redefining the workweek.
Under current California law, overtime may be earned at one- and one-half…
