It’s here! On April 30, we released the 2013 edition of Cal-Peculiarities: How California Employment Law is Different, the industry’s only annual guide that focuses exclusively on the most vexing aspects of employment law in the country’s most populous state. Authored by Seyfarth’s California Workplace Solutions group, this 262-page guide captures the latest legislative, judicial and regulatory developments which continue to make California the most uniquely challenging environment for private employers in the United States.
Led by Seyfarth co-editors in chief, David Kadue and Colleen Regan, Cal-Peculiarities marks its 14th year in publication and is available for the first time in e-book format, which can be ordered here.
We also hope you caught our Cal Peculiarities Webinar presented on April 30 by our own David Kadue, Laura Maechtlen and Andrew McNaught. If you missed it, you can access a recording here.
Highlights of the broadcast include:
- New requirements for businesses on posting information regarding human trafficking
- Prohibition for employers requesting or requiring employees or job applicants to disclose or divulge information regarding personal social media accounts, including passwords
- Inclusion of breastfeeding as a protected characteristic under the Fair Employment and Housing Act
- Reorganization of the Department of Fair Employment and Housing
- Continued striking down of arbitration agreements, notwithstanding the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the preemptive power of the Federal Arbitration Act
- Inability of prevailing defendants to obtain attorney fees relating to s claims for meal- and rest-break violations, or for split-shift premium pay
- Court holding that a retailer did not have to provide “suitable seats” to a cashier, but suggested that a lean-stool might be required
- Application of the ban on non-compete agreements to settlement agreements
- Continued support from courts upholding special provisions favoring union picketing
- Court decision that a group of individuals could use a class action to challenge their classification as independent contractors
You won’t want to have missed it.
Coming soon: Stay tuned for the next in our series on Hiring Issues.