Insight & Commentary on California Workplace Law Issues & Developments
Recently, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed the Fair Workweek Ordinance, similar to the ordinance passed by the City of Los Angeles last year.
The ordinance takes effect July 1, 2025.
Covered Employers
The ordinance applies to retail employers who:
In December 2022, the City of Berkeley passed the Fair Workweek Employment Standards Ordinance. The ordinance will become operative on January 12, 2024.
The Berkeley ordinance is similar to the City of Los Angeles’s Fair Work Week Ordinance which took effect April 1, 2023,and other local ordinances regarding how employees are scheduled…
As the temperatures rise, many employers, including those in the retail industry, may be fielding applications from minors looking for summer work. Before hiring applicants under the age of 18, it’s important to understand the requirements that apply to that segment of the workforce.
Minimum Age to Work
For most employers, a minor must be…
On April 1, 2023, the City of Los Angeles’ Retail Fair Workweek Ordinance took effect, but the City had only issued a Frequently Asked Questions page as guidance. More recently, the City published rules and regulations as required in the ordinance.
The Rules and Regulations cover the following topics:
In November 2022, the City of Los Angeles passed the Retail Fair Workweek Ordinance. The ordinance is set to take effect on April 1, 2023. The ordinance sets forth requirements for retail businesses in handling scheduling and providing work schedules to employees. Covered employees are anyone working in the City of Los Angeles…
Today, November 29, 2022, the Los Angeles City Council passed the Fair Work Week Ordinance on the second reading. The ordinance now goes to the mayor for final approval. If approved by the mayor, it will take effect on April 1, 2023.
Covered Employers
Under the ordinance, covered employers are defined as those businesses identified…
When the outdoor temperature tops 80 degrees Fahrenheit, the cool, air-conditioned comfort of a retail store may be a refuge for salespeople, but it is easy to forget that many other retail employees (including truck drivers, loaders, mechanics, janitors, maintenance personnel, cart attendants, and warehouse crews) may be feeling the heat in their workplaces.
Continue Reading Sales May Sizzle, But Keep Employees Cool
Violence is a leading cause of workplace deaths in the last 15 years and causes 48 percent of worker deaths in the retail industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Protecting retail stores is particularly challenging because they are open, public, high-traffic spaces with cash on hand, sometimes late-night operations, and with high employer turnover and stress. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2013, 85 percent of retail industry workplace violence involved some sort of crime. The rest may occur because a customer targeted a store or employee, an employee attacked coworkers or the company, or domestic or gang violence followed an employee to work. Moreover, violence may not always mean physical violence. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines violence to include intimidating and threatening conduct, and California recently passing a law that targets “abusive” behavior.
Continue Reading Retailer’s Guide to Defending Against Workplace Violence
The final vote on the proposed amendments to the San Francisco Formula Retail Worker Bill of Rights has been delayed until July 7, 2015. The amendments include a three-month grace period along with several other changes:
Continue Reading San Francisco Formula Retail Worker Bill of Rights: Update as of July 1, 2015
Originally posted by Human Resource Executive, the premier publication focused on strategic issues in HR. To view the original post, please click here.
A new set of ordinances that restrict San Francisco retailers in how they manage the scheduling and staffing of their establishments is about to go into effect—and experts say retailers in other parts of the United States had better be paying attention.
Continue Reading Spreading Eastward? A controversial new measure in San Francisco will impose new regulatory burdens on retailers there. But its supporters say it—and similar measures being debated elsewhere—are good for employees and for business.
