Effective 
July 1, the minimum wage jumps up yet again in localities throughout California. The minimum wage hikes come in the midst of a pandemic and one of the most difficult economic periods in decades when many employers are already struggling.
The July 1 increase will elevate the minimum wage to $15 per hour for
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that a massive component of California’s economy is and has been agriculture and food service, including farming, canning, processing, and of course, restaurants. Given the size and scope of these industries in and across California, on April 16, 2020, Governor Newsom signed Executive Order N-51-20, expanding employee protections for Food
Written by Sharon Shaoulian
California’s music industry finally came to an agreement with lawmakers on pending amendments to California’s Assembly Bill 5 (AB5). The amendments would provide relief to professionals in the music industry, including recording artists, musicians, composers, songwriters and vocalists, amending the prior language in AB5 that created hurdles for self-employed
A recent ruling confirmed that the time an employee spends waiting in line for a security check is considered “hours worked” in California and must be paid. The California Supreme Court ruling applies even though the employees choose to bring in bags to work. Put another way, the employees could skip the line by not
If you were hoping that AB-5 (the CA statute codifying the ABC standard into widespread law) would be held invalid, enjoined, or would just fall off a cliff, it is time to face reality. AB-5 is alive and well, and effective January 1, 2020. That means any California employer who still relies on independent contractors
Attention hospitality employers. Is that charge you add to a guest check a service charge (typically a set amount added to a guest check in lieu of a tip)? Or an automatic gratuity (such as a set amount for a party of 8 or more)? Or a true tip/gratuity (an actual discretionary amount left by
Our Labor & Employment team has been busy this fall! As loyal readers, your inboxes have been filled with our updates on all the changes to California employment laws. This legislative session ended on October 14th, so we thought it would be helpful to recap the changes you should have on your radars. These new
How will AB-5 impact franchise relationships in California? What steps can franchisors take to best protect their interests in California in a post-Dynamex, post AB-5 landscape? These are some of the questions Tami McKnew and I will be answering in a Webinar on October 28, 2019. It’s free, and we hope you will join
In Salazar v. McDonald’s Corp., the plaintiff argued that McDonald’s, a franchisor of fast food restaurants, was liable for wage and hour violations as a “joint employer” of its franchisees’ employees. Last week, a panel of the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that argument.
The court relied on the California Supreme Court’s
In a departure from decisions in recent years, the California high court has finally imposed some limits on the otherwise expansive reach of the Private Attorneys General Act, Labor Code § 2698, et seq. (“PAGA”). The legislation from 2002 allows one “aggrieved” employee to bring a representative action on behalf of all employees to collect