Blog
ETHICS
The Twentieth Century, and the start of the Twenty-First, have been no cakewalk. While our advances in science and technology have made possible the real prospect of a civilized world community, the reason, ethics and justice that would establish a secure society and lasting peace have been repeatedly crushed by the madness of ignorance, global […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 CALIFORNIA PROHIBITS MANDATORY EMPLOYEE ARBITRATION AGREEMENTS
Arbitration is a form of private dispute resolution that takes the place of a lawsuit and court trial. Arbitration has many business-related advantages, including a more efficient, less-public process than the often-prolonged procedures of the court. Thus, employers often favor this alternative. California Labor Code section 432.6, effective January 1, 2020 as part of Assembly […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 CALIFORNIA MINIMUM WAGE RATES
On January 1, 2020, California minimum wage will increase to $12.00 for small employers with 25 or fewer employees and to $13.00 per hour for larger employers with 26 or more employees. These rates continue to increase annually until they reach $15.00 per hour in 2022 for larger employers and in 2023 for those with […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS NEW 2020 OVERTIME EXEMPTION RATES
California Labor Code section 515.6 exempts certain licensed physicians and surgeons from overtime compensation if they receive set minimum hourly compensation. Effective January 1, 2020, the California Department of Industrial Relations is increasing the minimum from $82.72 to $84.79 per hour, effective January 1, 2020. To avoid California’s requirements to pay overtime premium rates after eight hours worked in a day […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 THAT’S FINAL, TENTATIVELY
Barring Successful Court Challenge, Federal Overtime Exemption Will Require Higher Salaries January 1, 2020 In 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued a “Final Rule” more than doubling the minimum salary amounts for certain workers – administrative, executive, and professional, employees, as well as “highly compensated employees” (HCE) to qualify for overtime exemption under […]
THANK A FARMER
Cow decorated for Mattu Pongal, 1996 Photo: Sue Bodenlos: khosla.com Harvest Festivals Not an American Innovation With all due respect to the many who regard America’s Thanksgiving as the biggest holiday of the year, there are currently some 7.35 billion people on this planet for whom this coming Thursday will be just another day. Alternatively, […]
BULLET DODGING PART 6
Real Estate Agent Exemptions From Stringent Limits on Independent Contractor Status New Labor Code 2750.3(d), effective January 1, 2020 as part of Assembly Bill (AB) 5, exempts real estate licensees, regulated under the Business & Professions Code (B&P), from the strict Dynamex ABC test for independent contractor classification. See, Dodging the Bullet (October 2019). Labor […]
GIVING BACK
At Global Cares Mission Academy and orphanage, Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa, August 10, 2019 African Literacy Project Applied Scholastics International Our firm is dedicated to community service because “human survival depends on a social framework that promotes and supports the basic rights and nature of mankind to create and change conditions for the better.” Bowles […]
WHAT’S NEW IN 2020 THE ROAD TO INFANT IMMORTALITY
Expanded State Approval Powers Over “Baby” Entertainers California has long regulated the “employment” of infants in the movies. Labor Code 1308.8 bans babies under 15-days old while requiring physician certification for our “older” new arrivals (aged 15-days to “under one month”) to work on any “motion picture set or location.” Beginning January, 2020, Assembly Bill […]
BULLET DODGING PART 5
The Referral Agency Exception To California’s Strict Independent Contractor Definition When new Labor Code section 2750.3(g) goes into effect on January 1, 2020 as part of Assembly Bill (AB) 5, certain types of referral agencies may be able to avoid classifying associated service providers as employees under the uber-strict Dynamex ABC standards. See, California’s Independent […]