Articles

California Bolsters its Sexual Harassment Laws in the Wake of the #MeToo Era By: Jessica Yang California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a number of bills in response to the #MeToo movement that will significantly impact employer obligations and employee rights. This trio of bills makes it easier for employees to bring sexual harassment claims, while at the same time making it more difficult for employers to resolve them and imposing additional training …

California Supreme Court Tolls Death-Knell on Independent Contractor Classifications By: Jennifer Branch, Partner at Lagasse Branch Bell + Kinkead LLP To curtail the number of misclassified independent contractors, the California Supreme Court recently adopted a new test for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor for purposes of the Califoria wage orders.   In a landmark case, Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, No. S222732 (April 30, …

Each New Year brings a host of new laws, and 2018 is no exception. There are several laws employers should be aware of. Below we summarize three of the most important changes taking effect in the New Year. New Parent Leave Act Beginning January 1, 2018, employers with at least 20 employees will be required to provide unpaid leave to new parents. (Note that employers with 50+ employees are already required to provide leave for …

On April 4, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill into law, setting forth a schedule that will gradually raise California’s minimum wage each year, until it reaches $15.00/hour.  The increases begin on January 1, 2017. For employers with 26 or more employees, California’s minimum wage will increase as follows, except when scheduled increases are temporarily suspended by the Governor, based on a determination that economic conditions cannot support a minimum wage increase: $10.50/hour on …

On October 6, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Fair Pay Act (the Act), an equality wage bill introduced by state Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara). In signing the bill, which goes into effect January 1, 2016 for employers with California-based employees, Governor Brown called the act “another step toward closing the persistent wage gap between men and women.” Gender-based pay discrimination was already prohibited under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) and …