Wage and Hour

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In the latest chapter in a decade-long saga to determine if interstate drivers are subject to California’s meal and rest break rules, the Ninth Circuit affirmed that drivers of passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles are not subject to the state’s break regulations. In People of the State of California ex rel. Xavier Becerra v. Federal Motor…

California employers in the health care industry should prepare for increased scrutiny of executive compensation as a new statewide initiative heads toward the November 3, 2026, General Election ballot.

The California Secretary of State announced that Initiative 1985, formally titled “Limits Compensation for Health Care Executives, Managers, and Administrators. Initiative Statute,” became eligible for the…

California generally uses the strict “ABC Test” to determine if a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. Under the ABC Test, a worker is presumed to be an employee unless the hiring company proves that the worker should instead be classified as an independent contractor. The ABC Test has been codified into law…

Employers in the entertainment industry know that payroll compliance can be uniquely complicated. Production schedules change, wrap dates move, and crew members may be hired for short stints across multiple projects.

California has a special final pay statute aimed at this reality: Labor Code section 201.5, which sets rules for when and how final wages…

The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) has released its Reporting Year (RY) 2025 Pay Data Reporting FAQ and Handbook. The statute remains familiar, but the filing mechanics this cycle are not.  CRD’s materials emphasize a prescribed file structure, add required data elements, and signal that conformity to the current-year template will be central to…

California’s annual pay data reporting submission this year is due on May 13, 2026.  Each cycle, the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) typically releases updated guidance for that year’s reporting in early February. 

While we await this annual guidance, CRD has already provided preliminary templates for payroll employee and labor contractor pay data reporting…

Recently, in Mora v. C.E. Enterprises, Inc., the California Court of Appeal upheld a trial court’s decision in favor of an auto dealership alleged to have used an improper “piece rate” or “flag hours” compensation model.

Two former service technicians alleged that the dealership’s compensation system violated requirements for compensating for productive and non-productive…