I can hear the questions already, just five new laws taking effect on January 1, 2016? No, there are many more, as I have previously written about, but here are five additional new laws employers need to understand going into 2016.
1. Family members of whistleblower are granted protections and some employers are excluded
Jillian Sanzone worked for Three D, LLD, d/b/a Triple Play Sports Bar and Grille, as a waitress and bartender and Vincent Spinella worked as a cook. The employees realized that they owed more money in State income taxes than expected and complained to the employer. Sanzone, Spinella, and another former employee, Jamie LaFrance, began posting
The recent settlement creating a $228 million fund by Federal Express in a multistate class action brought in 2005 alleging that drivers were misclassified as independent contractors. However, the parties are encountering some reluctance from the court in obtaining court approval of the settled. This case is a good example that entering into a settlement
California passed a new law in October 2015 that provides employers some potential 
protection against penalties imposed by the Private Attorney General Act of 2004 (PAGA). Employers need to understand the intricacies of PAGA, and the importance of seeking legal counsel immediately upon receiving a copy of the letter a plaintiff must send to the
Today, October 6, 2015, Governor Brown signed into the law Senate Bill 358, directed at ensuring equal pay across genders. While it was illegal to pay employees different wages based upon their gender or race already under California law, the new law expands the protection to workers who do “substantially similar” work. The bill
It may not be a topic on the minds of many business owners, human resource managers, or in-house counsel, but developing an effective relationship and engaging employment law counsel is essential in saving the company money and avoiding litigation. This Friday’s Five is a video in which I discuss five ways companies should be engaging
With more employers moving to digital personnel files, there is some concern about whether certain documents can be stored electronically or if the original document is necessary. Generally, with the passage of the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN) and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) by most states, e-signatures are given
Employers usually face defamation claims in connection with wrongful termination allegations. Defamation claims can arise in two
forms: libel (written) and slander (spoken). Defamation can result from a variety of different scenarios, such as: statements made to others during a workplace investigation, explaining to colleagues the reasons why an employee was terminated, the employee’s claim
In July 2015, Governor Brown signed legislation designed to overturn the decision in Rope v. Auto-Chlor 
System of Washington Inc. The case involved an employee who was asking his employer for an accommodation to take a future leave of absence in order to donate a kidney to his sister. As discussed below, the case raises
In this Friday’s Five I wanted to share some resources that have added a lot to my understanding of business, startups, and venture capital. Two points upfront: