As the July 1, 2024 deadline for implementing a Workplace Violence Prevention Plan (WVPP) is quickly approaching, California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) has now published a Model Workplace Violence Prevention Plan to assist employers in...

Paying overtime seems simple-hourly non-exempt employees are paid either 1.5x or 2x their rate of pay for overtime hours worked. However, in reality, calculating overtime is more complex as the overtime rate is not based on the “hourly rate of pay,” but instead must...

MEAL BREAK REQUIREMENTS MUST BE STRICTLY ENFORCED California law requires that employers “shall not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than 30 minutes.” Additionally, if...

Civil Rights Department Updates Workplace Discrimination & Harassment Poster All California employers are required to display certain posters and information regarding the law on harassment, discrimination, and other workplace topics. The poster entitled “California...

NON-COMPETES INVALID IN CALIFORNIA For many years, California has long disfavored restrictive covenants in employment agreements; California’s Business and Professions Code Section 16600 invalidates virtually any contract that includes a “restraint on trade” stating:...

UPDATED WAGE THEFT PROTECTION ACT NOTICE PUBLISHED Since 2011, California employers have been required to provide their employees with the Wage Theft Protection Act Notice, which provides specific information about the employees’ wages and paid sick leave...

RETALIATION PRESUMED TO EXIST One of the many laws that Governor Newsom signed was Senate Bill 497 (SB 497), known as the “Equal Pay and Anti-Retaliation Protection Act.” This new law amends Labor Code Sections 98.6, 1102.5, and 1197.5. At Will Employment California...

Governor Newsom was presented with 1,046 bills to consider for the 2024 legislative session. By the October 14th deadline, 890 bills were signed and of those 80 new employment related bills were signed. Below is a brief summary of some of the new laws affecting the...

Well, this was inevitable....on October 4, 2023 Governor Newsom signed Senate Bill 616 (“SB 616”) into law amending California’s paid sick leave law (the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014) which changes include increasing the amount of leave that is...

PROTECTIONS FOR FREELANCE WORKERS IN LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles City Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance, effective July 1, 2023, seeks to provide assurances to freelance workers that they are “treated fairly and receive the compensation they are due." What does...