Archive for November, 2016
URGENT NEWS
JUDGE STOPS FEDERAL OVERTIME RULE DAYS BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2016 DEADLINE Earlier this year, the Department of Labor issued its Federal Overtime Exemption Rule, “the Final Rule.” Starting December 1, 2016, this was to raise the minimum salary amounts for certain workers to qualify for overtime exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). See […]
DRESS TO IMPRESS
Employer Must Pay for Work-Required Uniforms Employee uniforms often contribute to creating a vital image for a business. Most people recognize an employee working in a particular chain super store by their red shirt and khaki pants, or a manager at a well-known food market by a button-up Hawaiian shirt. A uniform can become a […]
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE REQUIRED FOR SAN FRANCISCO EMPLOYERS
Groundbreaking Law Creates Paid Time Off for Baby Bonding As part of their ongoing efforts to establish family-friendly workplaces, the City and County of San Francisco are now the first municipalities in the U.S. to require employers to pay for parental leave. The San Francisco Paid Parental Leave Ordinance and its amendment (together, PPLO), starting […]
HOLIDAY SEASON OFFICE PARTY THAT’S NICE, NOT NAUGHTY
Workplace celebrations for end-of-year holidays can build teamwork and morale if properly planned and managed. Here are some suggested do’s and don’ts so your festivities will be a rousing success and not a human resources nightmare. DO: Start by evaluating what type of events best fit your company’s culture, but remember that even if you […]
SUN SETTING ON SAFE HARBOR ON DECEMBER 15, 2016
California Piece Pay Employers’ Final Step Is Payment and Documentation Submitted to the State Several California industries – trucking and agriculture in particular – have utilized “piece-rate” pay for many years, commonly to the benefit of management and employees alike. Drivers have earned by the miles traveled or loads delivered, field workers have made their […]
IT’S ALL RELATIVE
Employees with Disabled Family Members Are Protected from “Associational” Discrimination For some 15 years, Luis Castro-Ramirez was the only family member qualified to administer daily dialysis treatments to his ailing son. When Dependable Highway Express, Inc. (DHE) hired Castro-Ramirez in December 2009, his supervisors accommodated his request for morning shifts so that he would arrive […]
EMPLOYER DUE DILIGENCE REQUIRED TO LOCATE FORMER WORKERS UNDER CALIFORNIA’S PIECE WORK SAFE HARBOR
All Steps Must Be Taken by December 15, 2016 In the few weeks remaining before the mid-December 2016 deadline, thousands of California businesses must complete all required steps to accomplish “safe harbor” protection from potentially significant piece rate back pay liabilities. Specified in Labor Code 226.2(b), These actions include: (1) accurate calculation of the safe […]
NEW CALIFORNIA OVERTIME REQUIREMENTS FOR AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYERS
Phase-In of Stricter Rules Begins January 1, 2017 Agricultural employers in California must prepare to overhaul their compensation schemes under the Phase-In Overtime for Agricultural Workers Act of 2016 (Act), a new law signed by the Governor on September 12, 2016. The Act affects all persons “employed in an agricultural occupation” (essentially field workers), lowering […]
CALIFORNIA 2015 ANNUAL REPORT HIGHLIGHTS WORKPLACE RETALIATION AND SEX DISCRIMINATION TRENDS
The California Department of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) has published its annual statistical report on unlawful workplace discrimination, harassment and retaliation charges filed in 2015. Individuals filed 17,915 complaints with DFEH last year, up a few hundred from the 2014 total. Many contained multiple accusations. Retaliation, disability and sex-based grievances top the 2015 list, […]