Are you tired of employm
ent lawyers’ obnoxious headlines asking if you are sick over California’s paid sick leave law yet? I’ll spare you the play on words and get to some of the major amendments to California’s paid sick leave law, which took effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature of AB 304 on July
Five wage deductions California employers cannot make
1) Gratuities
All tips are the emp
loyee’s property, and cannot be taken by the employer. Labor Code section 350 states unequivocally that “Every gratuity is hereby declared to be the sole property of the employee or employees for whom it was paid, given or left for.” In addition, Labor Code section 351 clearly states
Presentation: General rules to comply with California’s paid sick leave law
I’ll be posting some short clips of a recent presentation I conducted on complying with California’s paid sick leave law. In this first video, I discuss some general rules California employers need to consider to comply with the July 1, 2015 deadline to offer paid sick leave to employees. Topics include:
- how to calculate pay
Friday’s Five: on-call time under California law
Businesses that have employees on standby waiting to be called for work must review whether this on-call time needs to be paid time. It is a v
ery fact intensive inquiry, that employers must ensure they get correct. Any mistake in not paying employees for compensable on-call time can result in potential exposure for overtime,
Labor Commissioner’s ruling against Uber widely misunderstood by media
Earlier this week Uber appealed a California Labor Commissioner ruling against it holding that a driver was misclassified as an independent contractor. In this video, I briefly discuss the ruling and the lesson it holds for employers.
Misclassification of employees as independent contractors can carry many damages and penalties. For example, Sections 226.8 and
Paid sick leave: Are you ready for the July 1, 2015 deadline?
This Friday’s Five article is busting its own rule with
a list of ten rules (it is California, and I should have realized the limitations of lists of five). While there are many aspects of the new law that I cannot cover in a short article like this, here is a general checklist of ten
Five most targeted industries for government wage and hour audits
Is your company in an industry that is likely to be targeted by the Department of Labor (DOL) for FLSA violations, or by the California Labor Commissioner for California Labor Code violations? A review of the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour statistics for fiscal year 2014, in connection with California’s Division of Labor Standards
Los Angeles moves closer to super-minimum wage, but major issues still surround the proposed law
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a panel of city lawmakers approved a draft of the ordinance that would raise the 
minimum wage in Los Angeles to $15 per hour by 2020, moving the ordinance one step closer to passage. There was a backlash this week against the labor unions that were pushing hard
Five strategies to make sure you are getting the best service from your lawyer
Today’s Friday’s Five article is a bit different in that it focuses on the attorney –
client relationship. Here are five recommendations to get the most out of your relationship with your lawyer:
1. Ask a lot of questions.
No question should be off limits with your lawyer. Ask questions about litigation issues, billing issues,
California’s paid sick leave law: Five deadlines every employer must know
While July 1, 2015 is the primary date making most headlines for the new sick leave requirement in California, and is when in fact employees begin to accrue and will be eligible to take paid sick leave, there are many other deadlines employers should keep in mind:
1. January 1, 2015:
Required poster “Healthy Workplaces/Healthy