Archives: California

Los Angeles Joins Ban the Box Movement

By Todd Lebowitz and Jeffrey Bils on December 27, 2016 Posted in Background Checks, California

Los Angeles has become the latest city to ban private employers from asking job applicants about their criminal histories before offering a job. With its Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, the city joins San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and about two dozen other cities, counties and states in enacting Ban the Box measures to promote … Continue Reading

Amendments to FEHA Regulations Effective April 1, 2016

By BakerHostetler on March 28, 2016 Posted in California

On April 1, 2016, amendments to California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) regulations will become effective. While the amendments bring the regulations into compliance with various recent statutory changes and case law interpretations, they also contain several new requirements that impact mandatory employer policies, trainings, and notices. New Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation Prevention Policy … Continue Reading

California Court Clarifies How to Calculate Overtime on Flat Sum Bonuses

By Jeffrey Bils on January 21, 2016 Posted in California

A California court of appeal has addressed a gap in California law to clarify what can be a tricky problem for employers — how to calculate overtime on bonuses of a fixed amount, or “flat sum” bonuses. The court’s answer can be summarized in three words: Follow federal law. The dispute in Hector Alvarado v. … Continue Reading

Updates to California’s Paid Sick Leave Law

By Jeffrey Bils on July 15, 2015 Posted in California, Leave of Absence

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a bill intended to cure some of the ambiguities in the state’s new paid sick leave law that have been a headache for employers. The Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014 (AB 1522) took full effect on July 1, 2015 and requires employers of any size to provide … Continue Reading

Changes in California Employment Law for 2015

By BakerHostetler on January 13, 2015 Posted in California

This BakerHostetler Alert was authored by: Vartan S. Madoyan, Barri L. Friedland, Diamond M. Hicks, and Sabrina L. Shadi As Californians get back to business in the new year, we wanted to highlight the following changes to California employment laws for 2015: Mandatory Paid Sick Leave Protections Against Discrimination and Harassment for Unpaid Interns and Volunteers Protection Against Discrimination … Continue Reading

New California Law Imposes Joint Liability on Businesses and Contract Vendors for Wage Violations and Workers’ Compensation Coverage

By Todd Lebowitz on November 10, 2014 Posted in California, Independent Contractor, Workers' Compensation

For companies using independent contractors in California, 2014 has been a difficult year, with several significant court decisions threatening the contractor model. In June, the Ninth Circuit rejected the parties’ choice of Georgia law in an independent contractor agreement and found that the contractor was an employee under California law. Later that month, the California … Continue Reading

The California Court of Appeal Finds That an Employee Expense is an Employee Expense is an Employee Expense

By Vartan Madoyan on August 20, 2014 Posted in California

On Tuesday, August 12, 2014, the California Court of Appeal (Second Appellate District) published a decision that could impact many employers in California. The threshold question at issue in the case was whether an employer was required to reimburse its employees for the reasonable expenses they incurred for the mandatory use of a personal cell … Continue Reading

California Employers, Look What 2014 Has In Store for You!

By Amy J. Traub on December 17, 2013 Posted in California

With the New Year on the horizon, there are a number of important changes to California law, which will become effective on January 1, 2014. Be sure to check them all out here. And have a happy holiday season!… Continue Reading

Failure to Reimburse California Employees for Business Expenses, Including Mileage, Resulting in Class-Action Litigation

By Nancy Inesta on August 29, 2013 Posted in California, FLSA, Retail, Wage and Hour

In California, there has been an increase in class action litigation against employers for the alleged failure to reimburse employees for business expenses, particularly mileage reimbursement. By way of example, in recent actions filed against prominent retailers, employees allege that they were not reimbursed for mileage and other travel expenses caused by: daily bank deposits, … Continue Reading