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MID-YEAR MINIMUM WAGE RATE INCREASES

$13.25 (25 or fewer employees)

UNIONIZING HOME HEALTH CARE

The Home Care Organization Consumer Protection Act (HCOCPA), effective January 1, 2016, requires licensing of home care organizations (HCOs) and registration of their home care aides (HCAs). TheHome...

CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 29

Labor Code section218.7, effective January 1, 2018, made general “direct” contractors (those delivering to property owners directly) responsible for wage payments to employees of subcontractors who fail to make those payments. However, direct contractors may be able to prevent such exposure through well-constructed written agreements with their subs. See,Contractors Liable for Wages and Benefits If Subcontractors Don’t Pay Their Employees.

CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 28

TheU.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC) hasannouncedthe $690,000 resolution of its gender-based lawsuit against Alaska gold mining outfit Northern Star LLC, formerly Sumitomo Metal Mining Pogo (Pogo).

BE KIND TO MOMMIES

Pregnancy remains one of the most clearly protected classifications for employees, safeguarded not only under general disability laws, but also under laws enacted specifically to protect expectant women. See, for example,Pregnancy Accommodation in California(Nov 2018);Employers with 20 or More on Payroll Must Provide Expanded Parental Leave(December 2017);Expanded Pregnancy Health Benefits for Most California Employees(October 2011). Refusing to hire someone or otherwise taking adverse action be

DEALING WITH THE WORKPLACE “DEBBIE DOWNER”

According to Wiktionary.org, a “Debbie Downer” is a “naysayer; one whose negative remarks depress or dissuade others.” Most seasoned managers will be all too familiar with how one negative individual can bring down the entire workforce’s morale.

MAKING DYNAMEX RETROACTIVE

Industries and employers throughout California have been grappling since April 2018 with the effect ofDynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Courton their independent contractor relationships. Reje...

CAUTIONARY TALES EPISODE 27

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...

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

California employers must accurately list specificwage-related informationon each worker’s pay stub per pay period, including but not limited to the company’s name and address, total hours worked, wag...