Seyfarth Synopsis: September 30 was Governor Newsom’s last day to sign or veto bills the Legislature passed by its August 31 deadline. Some new laws—including COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave and workers’ compensation presumption—became effective immediately upon signing. Others—such as an expansion of CFRA and other leave rights, an EEO-1-like annual pay data report, and (believe it
Continue Reading Pen Down, Governor Newsom: California’s Newest Employment Laws
Payroll Potholes: Paying for Travel Time
Seyfarth Synopsis: While employers usually don’t need to pay for travel time associated with an employee’s ordinary commute, federal and California law create exceptions that employers should know—particularly when company policy requires a certain type of transportation.
For many of us, automobile traffic—at least during the B.C. (before covid) era—has been as synonymous with California as its sunny weather
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More Laundry? Keeping Uniforms Clean in the Time of COVID
Seyfarth Synopsis: In the popular PBS show Downton Abbey, a large staff attends to the every domestic need of the British Earl and his family. Those of us somewhat less fortunate have likely felt the additional household burdens associated with the SIP orders. And as California businesses re-open, companies and workers have yet another chore to attend: cleaning uniforms
Continue Reading More Laundry? Keeping Uniforms Clean in the Time of COVID
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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The Fast, the Furious, the Fundamentals: Travel Pay in California
Seyfarth Synopsis: Travel time pay is a nebulous area of the law that can leave many employers stalled on the starting blocks. Here are some guidelines to help ensure that employees get paid for all hours worked, including any compensable travel time.
Ready. Set. Not so fast.
It makes common sense to most people that commute time—the time an employee
Continue Reading The Fast, the Furious, the Fundamentals: Travel Pay in California
Post-Cochran BYOD Class Actions: Who’s an Employer To Call?
By Kristen Verrastro and Michele Haydel Gehrke
Loyal readers will recall our discussion of the perplexing Cochran v. Schwan’s Home Services, Inc. cell phone reimbursement case in this space (initially here, and then again here).
We’ve yet to see any other California appellate decision that confirms or challenges Cochran’s holding that, under California Labor Code section 2802,
Continue Reading Post-Cochran BYOD Class Actions: Who’s an Employer To Call?
The Road Less Traveled: Reimbursing Employee Vehicle Expenses Through Increased Compensation Can Make All The Difference
In addition to the numerous and often mind-numbing requirements placed upon employers in the Golden State, Labor Code Section 2802 requires that an employer “indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties.” The most common employee “expenditure” seen by businesses relates
Continue Reading The Road Less Traveled: Reimbursing Employee Vehicle Expenses Through Increased Compensation Can Make All The Difference