Labor Code section 2810.3

Effective January 1, 2015, Labor Code section 2810.3 expanded California employer’s liability beyond its own employees, and made certain employers jointly liable for wage and hour violations committed by “labor contractors,” such as staffing agencies.  Here are five items California employers must understand about this joint employer liability:

1. Labor Code section 2810.3.

Effective January

Cheesecake Factory restaurants in Southern California were cited for $4.57 million for wage and hour violations and penalties by the Labor Commissioner earlier this week.  What may come as a surprise to many is that the citation was based on alleged wage violations for employees of contractors hired by Cheesecake Factory, not its own employees. 

The National Labor Relations Board issued a ruling this week that reverses the Board’s ruling issued under the Obama administration in regards to who can be held a “joint employer.”  The ruling is critical to businesses in the franchisee industry as well as businesses that use contract workers.  This Friday’s Five reviews five keys issues

2016 will be a year in which joint employer liability will be a major issue for employers.  Why am I making this prediction?  First, the NLRB has refocused attention to this issue in hopes of expanding the number of employers that can be found jointly liable.  Second, the Department of Labor issued an Administrative Interpretation