Recent Blog Posts
New Overtime Regulation Stayed by Federal Judge
The Department of Labor changed the minimum salary for an employee to be classified as exempt under federal law. Under the change, to be paid a salary, an employee would have to earn over $913 per week ($22.83/hour). Many California employers spent recent months preparing themselves for the change to the salary requirements to… Read More »
Host of New Employment Laws Entering Into Effect
The California State Legislature was busy during the 2015-2016 session, considering and passing bills that will have a big impact on employment in California. Below, you’ll find a quick summary of the new laws that will have a significant impact on employees and employers statewide, as well as changes that will affect Bay Area… Read More »
Gov. Brown Signs Law Expanding Fair Pay Act to Include Race & Ethnicity
California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed two pieces of legislation which will increase the legal protections of employees in California: SB 1063, designed to prevent race-based disparities in pay, and AB 1676, which amends the Labor Code to include that “prior salary shall not, by itself, justify any disparity in compensation.” Both updates will… Read More »
Uber Drivers Suffer Setback in Litigation
A recent decision by the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has forced a potential class of drivers for the ride-sharing app Uber to arbitrate their claims, rather than litigate them in court. This decision could have wide-reaching implications for hundreds of thousands of drivers currently pursuing claims against the company in court. The… Read More »
Former Employees File Age Discrimination Lawsuit against HP
Four former employees of HP have recently filed a lawsuit in federal court against the computer manufacturer. The suit alleges that HP discriminated against the employees based on their age. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of a class of older employees, claims that HP was attempting to transform itself into a “younger” company, firing… Read More »
California Governor Signs State Budget which Boosts Funds to Employee Protection Agencies
As the California legislative session drew to a close, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the budget which his office had a large hand in creating. Included in the budget was a major boost to the funds allocated toward employee rights enforcement agencies. Additionally, a trailer to the budget has introduced changes to claims… Read More »
New Federal Rules on Overtime Enacted
Years since originally suggesting an update to the rule, President Obama directed the Department of Labor to update its regulations governing the minimum salary which an employee must make before that employee can be exempt from being paid at 1.5 times their regular rate for working over 40 hours in a week. In order… Read More »
Settlement of the Uber Class Action: Bad Result for Workers
We’ve been reporting on the Uber lawsuit as it unfolded over the past several months, and can now provide the (sad) conclusion to the case. Uber has settled with drivers suing in California and Massachusetts in a settlement that employee advocates consider to be bad for employee rights. The settlement will resolve the drivers’… Read More »
Disability by Association
In a recent ruling by the California Court of Appeals’ Second District, a panel of judges ruled that being associated with a person with a disability who requires the employee’s assistance entitles that employee to reasonable accommodations in the workplace, similar to those which a disabled employee would be owed under California’s Fair Employment… Read More »
Motion to Dismiss Class Action Lawsuit Based on Violation of ERISA Rights Denied
A group of plaintiffs in New York are currently exploring a new theory under which employers can be held liable for avoiding their duty under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to provide health care for hourly employees. After successfully defending against a motion to dismiss, a class of current and former employees of the… Read More »
