Seyfarth Synopsis: As recent triple-digit temps have shown, California is still one of the hottest places to be—literally. Today’s post reminds all employers, especially with employees who work outdoors or in open-air environments, that OSHA, Cal-OSHA, and the California Labor Code all prescribe protections from the heat.
California rest and recovery breaks.
California employers must provide non-exempt employees with
Continue Reading California is Hot: Avoiding Workplace Heat Illness
Seyfarth Synopsis: Although there’s no right or wrong time to do a handbook update, we recommend them annually. Might as well take the opportunity when operations are typically slower, summertime, to give your handbook a shine. We’ve highlighted a few areas upon which to focus when you do so.
Ah, the joys of summer. Maybe it’s the heat, but everything
Continue Reading Need Cool Relief From Summer Heat? Try a Refreshing Handbook Update!
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
Continue Reading 2017 Labor & Employment Legislative Update: House of Origin Deadline
Seyfarth Synopsis: Summer is just getting started, and with it come special circumstances California employers should keep in mind. Vacations, hot weather, and company-sponsored events are among the summertime activities that raise employment issues. Here are some tips to beat the heat this summer.
Vacations
The kids are out of school and employees are ready to hit the road. Here’s
Continue Reading Beat the Summer Heat: Vacation, Heat-Related Illness, Company-Sponsored Events
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
Continue Reading Picking a Fight: How California Makes Employment Law Peculiar
Seyfarth Synopsis: Back from Spring Break, and Back to Work: Our List of L&E Bills to Watch in the remainder of the 2017-2018 California Legislative Session.
California Legislators were, as always, very busy in the first few months of the 2017-18 Legislative Session, introducing well over 2000 bills by the February 17th bill introduction deadline. But, in comparison to prior
Continue Reading 2017 California Labor and Employment Legislative Update: What to Watch
Seyfarth Synopsis: Does carrying a pager nullify a rest break? What about the possibility of being tapped on the shoulder by your boss? Or being called on your cell phone? The California Supreme Court considered these and other scenarios during an hour-long oral argument on September 29, as it asked, What does it mean to not “work” during a rest
Continue Reading The $90 Million Question: Can You Rest While On Call?
Seyfarth Synopsis: California’s rules on rest breaks are still developing. Recent cases have addressed the timing of rest breaks, and whether employees (particularly those who remain “on call”) must be relieved of all duty during breaks.
Our fair state has long imposed peculiar—and specific—requirements for employee work breaks. Varying interpretations of the rules for meal and rest breaks have spawned
Continue Reading No Rest for the Weary: California Law on Rest Breaks