Recently, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion to amend the Living Wage Ordinance (LWO) and the Hotel Worker Minimum Wage Ordinance (HWMO), which will impact airport and hospitality workers, respectively. On December 11, 2024, the City Council approved a draft ordinance and directed the City Attorney to prepare a formal draft ordinance
Susan E. Groff
Susan E. Groff is a Principal in the Los Angeles, California, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She advises and counsels management on various employment related issues and is Co-Leader of the California Advice and Counsel Resource Group.
Ms. Groff advises employers on complying with federal and California requirements for disability accommodation and protected leaves of absence.
She also counsels employers on a host of other employment issues, including wage and hour laws, harassment and discrimination complaints, workplace investigations, reductions in force, and discipline and termination questions. Ms. Groff further conducts training and seminars on employment related issues, including sexual harassment prevention training.
Furthermore, Ms. Groff has extensive experience exclusively representing employers in labor and employment disputes. She has defended employers in employment litigation, including actions involving sexual harassment, discrimination on the basis of sex, age, race, religion, and disability, wrongful termination, and wage and hour matters, including class actions. Ms. Groff has litigated matters from inception through the appellate stage before California state and federal courts and represents employers in proceedings before state and federal administrative agencies and tribunals.
Assembly Bill 3234: New Requirements for Employers Conducting Social Compliance Audits
On September 22, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 3234 into law which imposes more transparency requirements for employers that audit their child labor practices. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2025.
Under AB 3234, any employer that has voluntarily subjected its business to a “social compliance audit” to determine…
School Is Back in Session—Don’t Forget About Possible California Leave Entitlements for Parents
As kids head back to school, California employees with children may need time off for various reasons from school-related activities to kids who are sick. Here are reminders of the California leave entitlements for parents and caregivers.
School Activity Leave
Under California Labor Code Section 230.8, employers with 25 or more employees working at the…
California Legislature Proposes Bill Giving Employees the Right to “Disconnect” from Work
California’s pro-employee employment regulations are often compared to those of the European Union. Recently, the California legislature borrowed another European idea for a proposed bill, “the right to disconnect from work.”
Assembly Bill (AB) 2751 would mandate that employers establish policies that allow employees to disconnect from employment communications during non-working hours.
Under the proposed…
California’s Labor Commissioner Publishes Updated Wage Theft Notice
Under the California Wage Theft Protection Act (Cal. Labor Code section 2810.5), all employers are required to provide each employee with a written notice containing specified information at the time of hire, including wage and paid sick leave information. The notice must be in the language the employer normally uses to communicate employment-related information to…
Wrap-Up of California’s 2023 Legislative Session: What Employers Need to Know
California’s 2023 legislative session ended on October 14, 2023, with a slew of new bills affecting employers. Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than 30 employment-related bills.
Highlights of the new laws affecting employers in California are summarized below. Most of the laws take effect January 1, 2024, unless otherwise indicated.
Read the Full Article on…
California’s Paid Sick Leave Requirements Increased Effective 2024
On October 4, 2023, California’s Governor signed Senate Bill (SB) 616, which increases the amount of paid sick leave employers are required to provide to California employees.
Beginning on January 1, 2024, employers must increase the amount of sick leave provided to California employees from three days/24 hours to five days/40 hours.
Accrual
Under…
California State Grant Program for COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
The COVID-19 State of Emergency may be over but many employers are still feeling the economic effects of the pandemic. In 2022, when COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave (SPSL) was extended for the final time, the legislation also provided for a grant program for certain businesses to offset the costs of providing SPSL.
The…
California Revises Formula for Paid Family Leave and State Disability Insurance Benefits to Assist Lower Wage Earners
After vetoing a similar bill last year, on September 30, 2022, California Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill (SB) 951, which increases wage replacement rates for lower wage earners under the state Paid Family Leave program (PFL) and State Disability Insurance (SDI) programs.
Starting in 2025, workers who earn 70 percent or less than the…
Bereavement Leave Now Protected in California
On September 29, 2022, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 1949, which amends the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) to require covered employers to provide eligible employees with 5 days of bereavement leave.
AB 1949 applies to employers with 5 or more employees nationwide. Under the bill, employees who have been employed…