In a prior article, we explained Senate Bill 95, which requires employers with more than 25 employees in California to provide COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick leave.  You can read it here.  SB 95 creates California Labor Code Sections 248.2 and 248.3.  It goes into effect on March 29, 2021, and applies retroactively to January 1, 2021.  This new COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave law allows covered employees to take up to an additional 80 hours of paid COVID-19 related sick leave.
Continue Reading Labor Commissioner Issues FAQs for Supplemental COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Law

Frontline workers of certain large grocery and pharmacy retailers in Los Angeles County and other municipalities across the state may soon receive an additional $4.00 to $5.00 an hour in “hero pay” or “hazard pay” during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Continue Reading California Municipalities Move Closer to Requiring Hazard Pay for Grocery and Pharmacy Workers

On November 16, 2020, California implemented an accelerated application of its Blueprint for a Safer Economy metrics. Under the Blueprint Framework, every county in California is assigned to a tier based on its test positivity and adjusted case rate. Each tier has its own set of restrictions. Three days later, on November 19, 2020, the state issued a limited Stay at Home Order.
Continue Reading California Department of Public Health Issues New Statewide Stay At Home Order Linked to ICU Bed Capacity

Last October, we wrote about a Chicago ordinance requiring hotel employers to, among other things, equip hotel employees assigned to work in guestrooms or restrooms with portable emergency contact devices. The ordinance took effect July 1, 2018. Hotel employers in Chicago should ensure compliance with the mandates of the ordinance as penalties may reach $500 for each offense. Each day a violation continues is deemed a new offense.
Continue Reading Hands Off-Pants On Ordinance In Effect in Chicago; California May Be Next

California Assembly Bill (AB 450) is a bold move by the State Legislature to enter the I-9 arena – an area that has long been recognized as within the domain of the federal government. The Bill was signed by Governor Jerry Brown in October 2017 and becomes law on January 1, 2018.

The Bill amends the state Labor and Government codes and requires California employers to perform various notifications to their employees if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audits the company’s I-9’s.
Continue Reading A Solution in Search of a Problem: The California Legislature Imposes Duties for Employers When ICE Audits Your I-9s

On December 22, 2016, the California Supreme Court issued a critical decision in Augustus v. ABM Security Services, Inc., 2016 D.J. 12608 (2016), relating to California’s rest period obligations.  The California Supreme Court declared that state law prohibits on-duty and on-call rest periods.  It stated that employers must (1) relieve their employees of all duties during rest periods and (2) relinquish any control over how employees spend their break time.  However, the decision did not end there.  The California Supreme Court examined a number of related considerations, including the practical limitations created by a ten-minute rest period, policies that place restrictions on employees during rest periods, the circumstances under which premium payments may be due for missed rest periods, and the possibility of rescheduling or restarting rest periods when they cannot be provided or are interrupted.
Continue Reading Supreme Court Holds That Rest Periods Must Be Free From Duties And Employer Control