Seyfarth Synopsis: Every year California enacts a host of new laws that mean even the most diligent employers need to give their handbooks and policies a review and make sure they are up to date with the latest developments. Seyfarth has a few tips for making sure your handbook in the New Year stays compliant all year long (or at

Continue Reading New Year’s Resolution: Update Your Employee Handbook

Seyfarth Synopsis: SB 62, which became effective January 1, 2022, makes those involved in the chain of garment manufacturing jointly and severally liable for certain labor law violations, and eliminates piece-rate compensation for workers in the garment industry. As expected, the Labor Commissioner is stepping up enforcement in the new year and those in the industry should ensure
Continue Reading Wait A Minute Mr. Postman: Arrival From The Labor Commissioner?

Seyfarth Synopsis: Proposed California legislation, SB 62, would hold certain garment retailers known as “brand guarantors” (i.e. those that license their brand or name for manufacturing) responsible for labor violations occurring down the supply chain. We discuss the proposed bill’s provisions below, and its implications for companies operating in this area.

“Abe Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery, right? Well,
Continue Reading Unfashionable: Garment Retailers May Be Liable for Manufacturers’ Wage Violations

Seyfarth Synopsis: The great California patchwork of minimum wage ordinances might have employers feeling full of matatas, but no worries! Seyfarth is here to explain the circle of life of these laws so that even the slowest hyena could follow.

More Food For The Whole Flock

As of July 1, 2019, many California counties and municipalities have upped the ante
Continue Reading Minimum Wage Increases Across the Pride Lands

Seyfarth Summary: Like the singers in “California Dreamin,” many out-of-state employers—on a winter’s day and otherwise—might dream of operating in California. California is an attractive market for out-of-state companies. But employers who hire employees in California or send employees to work there face a unique set of challenges. Below are some key areas of employment law these companies should
Continue Reading “California Dreamin”—Peculiar Laws To Consider When Crossing State Lines

Seyfarth Synopsis: Effective January 1, 2019, California’s minimum hourly wage goes up to $12.00 for large employers, and many local minimum wages will go higher still. Don’t forget that the statewide change will affect salary thresholds for white collar exemptions, as well.

Effective January 1, as New Year’s bells toll, California’s minimum hourly wage will increase to $12.00 for employers
Continue Reading This New Year, Raise Your Glasses And the Minimum Wage

Seyfarth Synopsis: Yes, it’s true: California employees can be entitled to pay for time they haven’t worked. Here, we highlight two common instances: split shifts and reporting time.

Your head—already spinning if you’ve wrapped it around California’s quirky wage and hour laws—may explode when you consider the notion of having to pay for time not worked. The duties to pay
Continue Reading Paying Employees Who Haven’t Worked: Split Shifts And Reporting Pay

Seyfarth Synopsis: New statutory obligations for California employers in 2018 will include prohibitions on inquiries into applicants’ salary and conviction histories, expanding CFRA to employees of smaller employers, expansion of mandatory harassment training to include content on gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and new immigration-related restrictions and obligations.

California Governor Jerry Brown spent his last day to sign
Continue Reading 2017 Labor & Employment Legislative Update: It’s Finally Over! (For Now…)

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
Continue Reading San Francisco-Peculiarities: The City’s Ultra-Unique Employment Landscape