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NOW WHAT?
California Requirements to Avoid Employee Heat Illness in Time of Face Mask With temperatures rising to summer levels in parts of the state, employer obligations to protect outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses, beginning at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, come into force. Areas not yet reaching that threshold should prepare for the heat to come. Particularly with […]
COVID-19 GETS NOTICED
As reported in “Federal Coronavirus Workplace Relief,” the March 18 Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) contains two nationwide employee leave laws, the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (PSL Act) and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act (EFMLA). In essence and applicable to businesses with fewer than 500 employees: The PSL Act requires […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 CALIFORNIA MINIMUM WAGE RATES
On January 1, 2020, California minimum wage will increase to $12.00 for small employers with 25 or fewer employees and to $13.00 per hour for larger employers with 26 or more employees. These rates continue to increase annually until they reach $15.00 per hour in 2022 for larger employers and in 2023 for those with […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS NEW 2020 OVERTIME EXEMPTION RATES
California Labor Code section 515.6 exempts certain licensed physicians and surgeons from overtime compensation if they receive set minimum hourly compensation. Effective January 1, 2020, the California Department of Industrial Relations is increasing the minimum from $82.72 to $84.79 per hour, effective January 1, 2020. To avoid California’s requirements to pay overtime premium rates after eight hours worked in a day […]
FAHRENHEIT 080
California’s Threshold for Required Heat Illness Safeguards An employer’s obligations to protect outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses starts at 80 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s 26.7 degrees Celsius to be precise). So say California’s Occupational Safety & Health Standards Board (OSHSB) regulations. The regulations incorporate common sense rules for keeping workers safe: Have free, fresh, and “suitably […]
CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 31
RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITY NOT FEELING THE LOVE 708,521 Reasons to Pay Workers Legally Not having worker’s compensation insurance for five years was bad enough, but when the Labor Commissioner’s Office started investigating a workers’ compensation complaint against 53-bed Amore Retirement Living, it also discovered failure to pay minimum wage, overtime, and other wage and hour […]
CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 27
Walmart Hit with Six Million Dollar Verdict for “Discouraging” Off-Site Meal Breaks California employers must provide non-overtime-exempt employees unpaid meal break(s) based on the number of hours worked in a given day. See, Required Meal Periods and Rest Breaks Revisited (April, 2018). The California Supreme Court’s 2012 Brinker Restaurant Corp. decision clarified that “employer-provided” breaks […]
CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 26
Playa Vista Car Wash Takes a Dunking for $2.36 Million “Wage Theft” On April 17, 2019, the Labor Commissioner’s Office announced a $2.36 million citation — the largest issued against a car wash business to date — against Playa Vista Car Wash along with its president and general manager for failing to properly pay or provide required […]
ALL IN THE FAMILY
New Workplace Notice Available For Family Related Leaves Starting April 1, 2019, covered California employers must post the new Family Care and Medical Leave and Pregnancy Disability Leave notice (DFEH-100-21/March 2019). Previously, the notice was only for employers with 50 or more on payroll. It summarized employee rights and responsibilities when requesting Family Care […]
FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS…
KNOCK, KNOCK When It’s Your Turn For a Government Payroll Audit For California, the Employment Development Department (EDD) is responsible for the administration of unemployment and disability insurance, workforce training services and payroll audits. The agency has the power to impose significant, potentially fatal penalties for non-compliance. An EDD visit to look over pay practices […]