[Source: New York Times] The California governor must decide about labor bills and a sweeping measure to seal criminal records, matters that have drawn intense lobbying from both sides. The countdown has begun. Today is the final day of the two-year legislative session in Sacramento, so lawmakers have until midnight to pass hundreds of pending bills that Read More…
Tag: labor law
Business community launches Private Attorneys General Act reform ballot measure
[Source: California Globe] On October 5, 2021, three major business trade associations, filed a new initiative measure with the Attorney General’s Office for title and summary, the first official step in their effort to place on the November 2022 statewide ballot changes to California’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) (Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) | Read More…
California becomes more expensive for employers: meal and rest break premiums now track overtime
[Source: The National Law Review] Issuing the California Supreme Court’s decision in a much-anticipated case, Justice Liu on behalf of a unanimous court explained in Ferra v. Loews Hollywood Hotel, LLC. (S259172.PDF (ca.gov) that “[t]he calculation of premium pay for a non-compliant meal, rest, or recovery period, like the calculation of overtime pay, must account Read More…
EEO-1 reporting deadline extended
[Source: CalChamber] The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has extended the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 reporting deadline to August 23, 2021. All employers with 100 or more employees (and federal government contractors with 50 or more employees) are obligated to report their EEO-1 Component data (How to Submit 2019, 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Read More…
DOL tells court it will not defend proposed prevailing wage rule
[Source: The National Law Review] The Department of Labor (DOL) has informed a federal court in California that it did not wish to defend the proposed prevailing wage rule, which would impose steep wage hikes, “at the same time that is internally evaluating the propriety of that Rule” in the challenge to stop the agency Read More…
Labor laws should be updated to reflect shift towards telecommuting
[Source: CalChamber] As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many employees have been working from home since March with no end in sight. This has led some to speculate whether a permanent work from home model makes sense for employers going forward, even after the pandemic is over. In the 2021-22 Budget: California’s Fiscal Outlook Read More…
Death throes for AB 5?
[Source: Fox and Hounds Daily] The exemption arrows have found their mark in the Achilles heel of AB 5, the controversial and highly contested worker classification law. On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 2257 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez adding many more exemptions to the law that now total over 100. Ironically, it was Gonzalez Read More…
Furloughs versus layoffs: is there a difference in California?
[Source: CalChamber] Many Californian businesses are facing difficult choices during this COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic). Confronting losses in revenue and uncertainty in the future, businesses are evaluating their options for preserving their companies while maintaining their workforce. CalChamber members are asking, “What is the difference between furloughing and laying off employees?” Read More…
The rise in PAGA penalties is evidence of law’s abuse
[Source: Orange County Register] There’s growing recognition among California’s small businesses, nonprofits, and legislators that the state’s Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), which deputizes employees and trial lawyers to enforce state labor law, must be reformed to curtail widespread abusive lawsuits. Over the last 15 years, more than 35,000 PAGA notices have been sent to Read More…