As more counties move toward the Orange Tier on the state reopening guidance, businesses can reopen or operate under less restrictive requirements. This may mean employers need more employees than in the last several months. Though last year, the Governor vetoed a statewide right of recall requirement, several cities still have ordinances in
COVID-19
California’s Labor Commissioner Issues Required Poster & FAQ Regarding New COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave
On the anniversary of California’s statewide shelter-in-place orders, Governor Newsom signed legislation bringing back the statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave.
The new statute requires employers to display a required poster issued by the California Labor Commissioner and which the Labor Commissioner issued on March 22, 2021. Like prior required posters, the notice includes…
California’s Statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave is Back and Expanded
Governor Newsom has signed Senate Bill 95, which resurrects the statewide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave that expired at the end of 2020. The bill takes effect immediately but provides a 10-day grace period for employers to start providing sick leave. The new law also applies retroactively to January 1, 2021 and will remain…
Updated Guidance from California’s DFEH at the One Year Mark of the Pandemic
California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH), the agency charged with administering California’s employment discrimination statute and regulations, has updated its COVID-19 guidance for employers. The updates cover many issues that employers had been struggling with during the pandemic, including:
- COVID-19 Inquiries and Protective Equipment
- Employees with COVID-19 Symptoms or Infection
- Job-Protected Leave
…
California Leave Bills Employers Should Watch
Though employers may feel like California just wrapped up its legislative session for 2020, the 2021 legislative session is already in full swing. February 19 was the last day for the proposal of new bills. However, Assembly members and Senators have until September to revise and amend proposed bills before submitting them to the…
Cal OSHA Offers Additional Guidance for Its COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards: Testing Sites and Scope of Coverage
It has been three months since California approved the Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (“Cal OSHA”) COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (“ETS”). The rushed implementation of Cal OSHA’s ETS, which imposed new and confusing obligations on employers, left many scratching their heads and resulted in several legal challenges to the ETS. For example, some …
The Spread of Hero Pay Continues
Despite the California Grocers Association lawsuits pending against four cities over hero pay ordinances, more cities and counties have passed or are considering premium pay ordinances for grocery store and similar workers. The laws all vary in both scope and applicability so affected employers with locations throughout California should be mindful of the distinctions. Of…
State of California Releases New Employer Portal to Assist With COVID-19 Compliance
As the state of California approaches one year of being under various shelter-in-place orders, the Labor & Workforce Development Agency and the Department of Industrial Relations have consolidated resources for employers into a new website. The site provides information on how to ensure a safer and healthier workplace. It also has information on handling…
California’s Healthy Workplace Healthy Family Act Covers COVID-19, Too
California currently has a patchwork of local COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave ordinances which remain in effect in 2021. But what about employers that are not located in those localities with a supplemental paid sick leave ordinance? Or employees who have exhausted supplement paid sick leave allotments?
Before the pandemic, California had the Healthy Workplace…
Hazard Pay for Grocery Workers Trending
Following in the footsteps of the City of Long Beach, the cities of Montebello and Oakland have passed premium pay ordinances mandating additional pay for certain grocery and drug store employees. Premium pay or “hazard pay” for grocery employees seems to be the new trend in COVID-19 regulations. This trend continues despite recent lawsuits…