Seyfarth Synopsis: As if high rent and California’s peculiar laws were not enough to worry about, San Francisco employers must also comply with City-specific ordinances. Trailblazing City requirements often exceed state laws and have sometimes been harbingers of state-level enactments. One might say that San Francisco, with its distinctive laws, is to California what California is to the rest of
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Hot Off The Press! DFEH’s Annual Report
Seyfarth Synopsis: California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing has just issued its Annual Report on civil rights complaints during 2016. Here are some highlights.
The DFEH hails as the largest state civil rights agency in the country, with 220 full-time employees operating out of five offices throughout California. Its annual report makes clear that its core work is litigation.
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2017 Labor & Employment Legislative Update: House of Origin Deadline
Seyfarth Synopsis: Pay equity and Ban The Box bills lead the list of bills approved to continue their quest (moving to the other house of the California Legislature) to become California law.
Friday, June 2, marked the last day for bills in the California Legislature to pass out of their house of origin—the Senate or Assembly—and continue the legislative process
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Picking a Fight: How California Makes Employment Law Peculiar
Seyfarth Synopsis: Our mission here at Cal-Pecs is to illuminate how California employment law differs from the law that employers generally experience throughout America. In this back-to-basics piece, we provide some background and a brief catalog of stark contrasts.
In 1846, American settlers in Mexican Alta California staged the Bear Flag Revolt. They declared an independent republic, seeking freedom from
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California Supreme Court Set to Address Fate of Independent Contracting
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court, in Dynamex Operations v. Superior Court, has agreed to address the legal standard for determining whether a worker classified as an independent contractor is really an employee. The Supreme Court’s opinion is expected to be significant for anyone thinking of using independent contractors in California.
The Future of Work: A Surging Demand for
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Legislature Finds More Opportunity to Work: AB 5 Moves Along
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment yesterday heard and approved AB 5, The Opportunity to Work Act, as it continues to move through the legislative process.
The Opportunity to Work Act, which would require employers to offer hours to part-time employees before hiring new employees or temporary workers, yesterday cleared its first hurdle in the
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Avoid Paying The Piper: Tune Your Startup to Avoid Harassment Claims
Seyfarth Synopsis: Heeding some lessons from HBO’s “Silicon Valley” can help employers avoid mistakes related to potential hostile work environments and discrimination that might occur in a startup environment.
In a world where life often imitates art, startups can avoid perceived gender bias and sexual harassment in the workplace by learning from the pitfalls of the socially awkward
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Something We Said? Court Backs Off Accommodation Duty For Associational Disability
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Court of Appeal, on rehearing, has superseded a 2016 decision that employers must reasonably accommodate work restrictions because of the disabilities of the employee’s associates. The superseding opinion recognizes that employers have no established duty to provide accommodations because of the disability of an employee’s associates.
Seyfarth’s One Minute Memo readers will recall that we reported, back
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When You Gotta Go: Time To Check Your Restroom Signs
Seyfarth Synopsis: As of March, all single-occupancy restrooms in California businesses, government buildings, and places of public accommodation must be gender neutral. This post reviews the annoyingly specific requirements regarding restroom signage to help employers remain compliant.
North Carolina achieved notoriety with its “Bathroom Bill,” restricting restroom access on the basis of gender. California has countered with its own bill,
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No Break for California Employers This Holiday Season
Seyfarth Synopsis: In what many employers will see as a “break” from workplace reality, the Supreme Court, in Augustus v. ABM Security Services, Inc., announced that certain “on call” rest periods do not comply with the California Labor Code and Wage Orders. The decision presents significant practical challenges for employers in industries where employees must respond to exigent
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