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The California legislature has added a new provision to the Labor Code expanding protections from “unfair immigration-related practices” (originally passed in 2013) beyond the retaliation context and extending protections to any employee or applicant, regardless of whether they have ever made a complaint.  The law also specifies that it shall be unlawful for any employer to:
Continue Reading New Protections for Immigrants

The U.S. Department of Labor has issued its final rule requiring federal contractors to provide at least seven days or 56 hours of paid sick leave each year to employees who perform work on covered federal contracts. This rule is the final implementation of Executive Order 13706, which President Obama issued in September 2015. The new rule becomes effective on November 29, 2016, though in most instances, as discussed below, it will only be applicable to new contracts awarded on or after January 1, 2017. Contractors should, however, take steps now to ensure compliance.
Continue Reading Department of Labor Issues Final Rule Requiring Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors

The Ninth Circuit recently held in Morris v. Ernst & Young, LLP that employees have a substantive right to pursue work-related claims collectively, and employers may not force employees to waive this right as a condition of employment.  As a result, class action waivers in arbitration agreements signed as a condition of employment are no longer enforceable in California.

Like many employers throughout the country, Ernst & Young required that all its employees sign arbitration agreements as a condition of employment, and each agreement required that the employees promise not to join with other employees in bringing legal claims against the company.  Specifically, the agreements required that the employees pursue legal claims (1) exclusively through arbitration, and (2) only as individuals and in “separate proceedings.”  As a result, employees could not initiate concerted legal claims against the company in any forum, whether court, arbitration proceedings or elsewhere.Continue Reading Class Action Waivers in Arbitration Agreements Signed as a Condition of Employment No Longer Enforceable in California

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has updated their mandatory posters, which notify employees of their rights under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA), to no longer list the civil monetary penalties that may be assessed for violations of the aforementioned Acts.  Additionally, the FSLA poster has also…

On June 27, 2016, the Fair Employment and Housing Council considered a proposal to amend the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) regulations with respect to the use of criminal history records in employment decisions. The proposed regulations would outline current law while also imposing additional restrictions that would further limit an employer’s use of such information.

Under current law, California employers are prohibited from utilizing certain criminal records and information in hiring, promotion, training, discipline, termination, and other employment decisions. In particular, when making an employment decision, employers may not consider: (1) an arrest or detention that did not result in conviction; (2) an individual’s referral to or participation in a pre-trial or post-trial diversion program; (3) a conviction that has been judicially dismissed or ordered sealed, expunged, or statutorily eradicated; or (4) a non-felony conviction for possession of marijuana that is more than two years old.Continue Reading Council Discusses Proposal that Would Further Restrict an Employer’s Ability to Review Criminal History

California recently amended state law with regards to smoking in the workplace. The bill, which was signed by the governor on May 4, 2016, is intended to “prohibit the smoking of tobacco products in all (100 percent of) enclosed places of employment in this state . . . eliminating the need of local governments to enact workplace smoking restrictions.” The former law had not applied to employers with five or fewer employees and had allowed employers to permit employees to smoke in the company break room. It had also exempted several types of workplaces and enclosed spaces from coverage, including hotel lobbies, banquet rooms, bars, taverns, and warehouses.
Continue Reading California Passes Tighter, Statewide Restrictions on Smoking in the Workplace

California employers must now juggle two additional sick leave laws.  Although California already has a statewide mandate requiring that all employers within the state provide their employees with paid sick leave (see March 17, 2016 blog post), several cities, including Emeryville, Oakland, and San Francisco, have passed their own ordinances imposing additional obligations on employers with employees within their city limits.  Los Angeles and San Diego have now joined that list, with new paid sick leave laws going into effect as of July 1, 2016, and July 11, 2016, respectively.
Continue Reading New Los Angeles and San Diego Sick Leave Ordinances Now in Effect

From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network
From the Bass, Berry & Sims Blog Network

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