As fire season starts and some areas of California and several other states are attempting to contain wildfires, employers need to consider their obligations to employees. In some circumstances, employers must implement a variety of controls to protect employees from wildfire smoke, including engineering and administrative controls, or require the use of personal protective equipment
California Supreme Court Holds Settlement of Individual Claims Does Not Strip an Employee of Standing Under the Private Attorneys General Act
The California Supreme Court has weighed in on who is an aggrieved employee under the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) in Kim v. Reins International California, Inc. The issue before the court was, does an employee bringing an action under PAGA lose standing to pursue representative claims as an “aggrieved employee” by settling and
Legislature Considers More Time to Cure Wage Statement Violations
Employers all over the State of California have been waiting earnestly for over two years for the California Supreme Court to issue its opinion in Kim v. Reins International California. A ruling that will decide whether a settling employee remains an aggrieved employee for purposes of the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA). The wait
What’s Left of the De Minimis Doctrine in California? Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals May Soon Decide
Last year, the California Supreme Court held the federal “de minimis” doctrine does not apply to California state law claims for unpaid wages for off-the-clock work allegedly performed on a regularly occurring basis in store closing and related activities. Troester v. Starbucks Corp., 5 Cal. 5th 829. However, the California Supreme Court also noted that
Car Wash Employees CLEAN Up with Help of California Department of Labor
The Labor Commissioner fined a Southern-California car wash for more than $2.36 million for alleged wage and hour violations. These fines included both civil penalties and wages owed to employees. This appears to be a continuation of the agency’s enforcement actions against commercial car washes from 2012 and 2015.
In addition to fining the company,
Teamsters Challenges Federal Agency Decision on California Break Rules on Interstate Truck Drivers
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 2785 has filed a petition for review to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) determination that California’s meal and rest break rules are preempted as applied to drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) subject to the FMCSA’s hours-of-service (HOS) regulations. This
Employer Successfully Defends Rounding Policy by Showing It Did Not Disfavor Employees
A California appellate court held an employer’s use of a rounding policy for its non-exempt employees complied with California law because it did not disfavor employees. (Donohue v. AMN Services, LLC (Dec. 10, 2018) Case No. D071865.)
AMN employed Donohue as a nurse recruiter who was non-exempt from California’s overtime requirements. AMN tracked recruiters’
California Supreme Court Rebuffs Plaintiffs’ Attempt to Undo Their Agreements Waiving Second Meal Period
The California Supreme Court has upheld the ability of California health care workers who work more than twelve hours a day voluntarily to waive their second meal period, rebuffing plaintiffs’ argument that their voluntary waivers were unenforceable. (Gerard v. Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center (Dec. 10, 2018) Case No. S241655.)
The Labor Code generally
Santa Monica to Implement New Minimum Wage Law
It’s summertime in the City of Santa Monica and with sunny days and cool ocean breezes also comes an increase in the minimum wage commencing on July 1, 2018. Each year on July 1, Santa Monica employers must comply with the City’s minimum wage law, which was enacted in 2016 and currently runs through 2021.
Court of Appeal Affirms “Waiting Time” Penalties Where Employer Unaware of Wage Law Amendment
In its May 24, 2018 opinion in the matter of Diaz v. Grill Concepts Services, Inc. (Case no. B280846, 2nd Dist.), the California Court of Appeal shed further light on the standard to impose so-called “waiting time penalties” on employers who neglect to pay wages due upon discharge or resignation. Diaz affirmed the maxim that