Recent Blog Posts
California Supreme Court Settles Dispute over Calculating Overtime
The Supreme Court of California has recently issued a ruling in the class action lawsuit titled Alvarado v. Dart Container Corp. of California, a case revolving around how a worker’s overtime rate of pay should be calculated when the worker has received a flat sum bonus during the pay period. Read on to learn… Read More »
San Francisco Judge Rules that GrubHub Drivers are Independent Contractors
In a landmark ruling addressing the legal rights of California workers in the growing gig economy, a federal judge in San Francisco has determined that a driver for GrubHub is an independent contractor and not an employee with rights under California labor law. The ruling could have a wide-ranging impact on those working for… Read More »
How Do New California Laws on Marijuana Legalization Affect Drug-Free Workplace Laws?
On January 2, 2018, retailers across the state of California—at least, those who managed to procure sales permits—began selling marijuana for recreational use. Now, both employers and employees in the Golden State are asking whether it is still legal for workplaces to utilize policies that prohibit marijuana use by employees who are off the… Read More »
New California Employment Laws Taking Effect in 2018
2017 brought yet another set of interesting changes to California employment laws. As of January 1, 2018, a number of these laws take effect and could affect your rights as an employee or your duties as a California employer. Read on to learn about new laws affecting California businesses in 2018, and contact a… Read More »
Gov. Brown Signs Bill Authorizing Family Leave for Employees of Small Businesses
This month, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill into law that expands existing family leave laws to include employees of small businesses. Small businesses should begin preparing for the change in the law, which takes effect on January 1, 2018. Gov. Brown signed SB 63 into law on October 12, 2017. The law… Read More »
Potential Changes to California Employment Law
As the California legislative season comes to a close, dozens of bills that have passed both houses of the legislature are currently awaiting the approval or veto of Gov. Jerry Brown. Among those bills are several potential changes to California’s employment laws that could have wide-ranging impacts on California workplaces. Read on to learn… Read More »
A Quick Look at Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Workplace sexual harassment is certainly in the news in a big way right now. As more women come out with allegations against Harvey Weinstein, and as both women and men decide to speak out against sexual harassment in the entertainment industry, it is natural to expect that more harassment claims in general will be… Read More »
Law Before California Legislature Would Raise Minimum Salary for Exempt Employees
Prior to the presidential election, the Obama administration enacted a new rule that granted a right to overtime pay for any employee who made less than $913 per week in salaried pay. The rule was slated to enter into effect on December 1, 2016, before a Texas federal judge put a stay in place… Read More »
Massachusetts Court Rules that Medical Marijuana Patients Cannot be Fired for Pot Use
In recent years, numerous states across the US have joined California in making marijuana use legal when prescribed by a physician. California is now one of a smaller but growing number of states that has legalized possession and use of the drug for recreational purposes as well. Despite the increasing amount of legal approval… Read More »
Employer’s Attorney Held Liable for Retaliation against Worker
Attorneys are rarely held personally responsible for the unethical or illegal decisions of their clients, even if the attorneys arguably help to carry out that unethical conduct. It is a very rare occasion when an attorney is held responsible financially or criminally for the acts of their clients. In a ruling that has come… Read More »
