Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
While some of the 2020 election is still undecided, California voters were fairly definitive in their support of Proposition 22, which will now allow app-based rideshare and delivery companies to hire drivers as independent contractors if various conditions are met.
A key part of Prop 22 provides workers with minimum compensation levels, health insurance…
The California 2020 legislative session has closed, and employers should be preparing for 2021 by updating policies and procedures. Employers should ensure that the minimum wage for non-exempt employees’ wages will be appropriately increased for 2021. Since 2017, California has been working its way up to an eventual $15 minimum wage. Industry groups rallied…
On November 3, 2020, while the rest of the country is focused on the 2020 election, the California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Vazquez v. Jan-Pro Franchising Int’l, Inc. to address an unanswered question stemming from the Court’s 2018 decision in Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court 4 Cal. 5th 905…
On September 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 2479, which extends until January 1, 2026, the exemption from the rest period requirements for specified employees who hold a safety-sensitive position at a petroleum facility and are required to respond to emergencies. Before the passage of this legislation, the exemption was scheduled to remain…
On September 30, 2020, the Governor signed Assembly Bill 323 (“AB 323”), which is intended to support local journalism.
Part of the new law focuses on California’s official advertising, requiring the Department of General Services publish by July 1 each year information relating to payments of placement marketing and outreach advertising material by each state…
On September 30, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1512 (“AB 1512”), which for the first time allows employers to require their unionized security officers to take on-duty rest breaks. Historically, employees could agree to take on-duty meal breaks (with certain prerequisites), but the law was silent as to on-duty rest breaks. In enacting AB…
On September 9, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill (“AB”) 736, which expands the professional exemption under Industrial Welfare Commission (“IWC”) Wage Orders Nos. 4-2001 and 5-2001 to include part-time, or “adjunct,” faculty at private, non-profit colleges and universities in California.
AB 736 amends the Labor Code to add Section 515.7, which states that…
One of the first employment-related bills signed by Governor Newsom this legislative session was Assembly Bill (“AB”) 2257, which recasts, clarifies, and expands exemptions to AB 5, last year’s bill relating to independent contractors.
In September 2019, Governor Newsom signed into law AB 5, which codified the “ABC Test” adopted by the California…
In March 2020, many employers suddenly found themselves managing a mostly remote workforce due to COVID-19. As the pandemic stretches on, some businesses remain remote because of necessity, while others are considering the many advantages of a remote workforce.
As employees continue teleworking, employers should familiarize themselves with the requirements for reimbursement under California law.…
The start of the year brings a lot of new laws and in the past few years the increase of the State of California’s minimum wage. This year the state minimum wage has increased to $12.00 for employers with 25 employees or less, and $13.00 for employers with 26 employees or more. These rates are…
