For the first time in two decades, California has changed its statewide smoking laws. Some workplaces that were exempt from the previous smoke-free workplace laws are no longer exempt. The new smoking laws also raised the minimum smoking age from 18 to 21 and equate e-cigarettes and vaporizers with traditional tobacco products. The laws in
California Reclaims Status as #1 Judicial Hellhole
I’ve been following California’s “judicial hellhole” rankings for a couple of years now. Like many of you, I was outraged when New York claimed the top spot last year (according to the American Tort Reform Association, which puts out the rankings). This year, reason has prevailed over East Coast bias and the Golden
New CA Law Drastically Restricts E-Verify Use
U.S. employers are, of course, required to verify that the workers they hire are authorized to work here. AB 622, which takes effect January 1, 2016, will make it harder for California employers to do so.
Three federal agencies (the Citizenship and Immigration Service, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Social Security Administration)
California Wants to Ban Employer Inquiries About Salary History
Are you worried about the threat posed by prior-salary-question-askers? Well then you can sleep soundly knowing that your California Legislature has tackled this thorny issue.
AB 1017, one of the bills sitting on the Governor’s desk from the last legislative session, would add language to the California Labor Code saying:
An employer shall not,
Can California Employers Prohibit Moonlighting?
If a company hires someone for full-time employment, it’s natural to want that person’s undivided attention. So it seems only reasonable that an employer can tell someone: “Hey, if we’re paying you for full-time work, you can’t work for anyone else.” Right?
Wrong. Labor Code
California Issues Paid Sick Leave Poster
Paid Sick Leave becomes mandatory in California on July 1, 2015. We’ve discussed the general requirements here and here. The law requires that employers display a poster stating that:
- Employees are entitled to accrue, request, and use paid sick days;
- The number of
California Ranked #1 "Judicial Hellhole"
I would be so happy to be able to say California is number one with reference to The University of California Golden Bear football team. But since the Bears have 14 straight conference losses and had one win this last season (over a Division II opponent), that’s still a ways off.
However, the California
California Poised to Raise Minimum Wage 25%
The state legislature has passed AB 10, a bill to raise the minimum wage to $9 per hour on July 1, 2014 and to $10 per hour on January 1, 2016. Governor Brown previously announced that he intends to sign the bill.
The state minimum wage is currently $8 per hour. The federal
Regular Rate of Pay (Part 317): There's No Such Thing As A Free Beer
My colleague Nancy Yaffe has written several posts (like this one) about the complications in calculating overtime for employees who are paid at different rates or receive certain bonus, commission, or incentive payments. You see, overtime in California (and under federal law) isn’t just based on an employee’s base hourly rate. That would be too
New Rules for Picketing in California
California retail businesses must once again accept unions picketing and demonstrating on their private walkways and outside their store entrances, courtesy of the California Supreme Court. On December 27, 2012, the California Supreme Court in Ralphs Grocery Company v. UFCW, Local 8 held that a store in a strip mall could not prevent a union