Archive for July, 2020
OLDER FOLKS ARE PEOPLE TOO
Expanded Federal Pandemic Guidelines Allow Favorable Treatment for Aged 65-Plus Personnel The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) June 17 update of COVID-related guidelines (June 17 Update) offers first-time protocols for the management of aged 65-plus workers in pandemic times under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). COVID-19’s unprecedented circumstances have led the EEOC […]
CALIFORNIA CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE, UPDATED
Cities and Counties Requiring Paid Sick Leave Above and Beyond Federal Limits The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires most businesses with fewer than 500 employees to provide emergency paid sick leave benefits for workers affected by COVID-19. For example, covered employers must provide 80 hours of paid sick leave for full-time employees and two weeks of […]
MINISTERS AND MESSENGERS
Supreme Court Removes Discrimination Protections for a Wide Range of Church-Affiliated Employees To a degree, the First Amendment shields religious institutions from government involvement in employment disputes. The U.S. Supreme has recently broadened that protection to potentially place hundreds of thousands of parochial school teachers and other church-affiliated workers outside the reach of workplace discrimination laws. Our […]
CABIN FEVER IN A PANDEMIC
California’s Updated Coronavirus Response On June 28, 2020, Governor Newsom directed bars to close in five counties on the state’s watch list: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, and Tulare. These join two other counties – Imperial and San Joaquin – with bars already subject to such mandatory closings. The state has recommended bar closings in eight other […]
SUMMER PANDEMIC PAY
FFCRA Paid Leave Eligibility for Youth Program Closure The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) provides emergency paid sick leave and additional paid family leave for a worker who must care for his/her child due to COVID-19-related school or other “place of care” closures. Would a summer camp closure qualify? Perhaps. The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)’s FAQs […]
NO BASE LIKE HOME
When Interstate Transport Workers are Entitled to California Paycheck Protections While each state has the power to set wage and other workplace standards for labor performed within its borders, that authority can blur when truckers and passenger carrier personnel divide their work time between the states. On several suits by pilots and flight attendants, the […]
NOW WHAT?
California Requirements to Avoid Employee Heat Illness in Time of Face Mask With temperatures rising to summer levels in parts of the state, employer obligations to protect outdoor workers from heat-related illnesses, beginning at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, come into force. Areas not yet reaching that threshold should prepare for the heat to come. Particularly with […]