Recent Blog Posts
California Court Blocks New Anti-Arbitration Agreement Law
We previously discussed California’s new law that bans mandatory arbitration agreements as a condition of employment, and the surprising move by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to reverse its long-standing opposition to such mandatory agreements. The latest development regarding arbitration agreements is a realization of the fears of advocates of the new… Read More »
California Bans Mandatory Arbitration Agreements in Employment, EEOC Goes the Other Way
In a previous post, we explained that Governor Newsom signed into law a bill that bans employers from forcing employees to sign mandatory arbitration agreements as a condition of employment. The new law mirrored a bill that the California legislature had previously passed but which had been vetoed by former Governor Jerry Brown. Employee… Read More »
California DFEH Clarifies Sexual Harassment Training Requirements
As we previously discussed, California recently passed a series of laws granting expanded protections for employees and imposing a host of new worker-friendly responsibilities on California employers. Many of these laws go into effect this coming January, although the legislature has extended the deadline for compliance with the new sexual harassment training requirements to… Read More »
New California Employer Responsibilities and Employee Rights in 2020
California has seen a wave of employee rights legislation in the past few years, expanding protections for employees and the responsibilities of employers. Some of these new regulations go into effect this coming January. We previously discussed new sexual harassment training deadlines for employers, California’s new hairstyle discrimination act, and a massive overhaul to… Read More »
Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Whether Title VII Covers LGBT Discrimination
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prevents employers across the country from discriminating against workers based on protected classes and characteristics, including race, religion, sex, and national origin. As LGBT rights have expanded across the country, and prohibitions on same-sex marriage were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015, gay… Read More »
New California Sexual Harassment Training Deadlines
California legislators have responded in force to the #MeToo movement and other developments in anti-harassment culture with new laws regarding discrimination in the workplace, laws banning gag orders on sexual harassment settlements, and other regulations protect workers. California law already requires employers to hold periodic training on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace, but… Read More »
California’s New Hairstyle Discrimination Act
California has just become the first state in the United States to bar employers and school officials from discriminating against people based on their natural hair. After the historic bill passed the California Senate by a unanimous 69 to 0 vote, Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law on July 3, 2019. The law… Read More »
Proposed California Law Would Significantly Narrow Definition of “Independent Contractors” in Serious Overhaul of Gig Economy
A proposed piece of legislation in California could have a massive impact on California’s current gig economy. The law aims to clarify the definition of “independent contractors” and would not only affect traditional companies but might have significant implications for companies such as Uber and Lyft that rely on the independent contractor model. The… Read More »
New California Law Bars Secret Sexual Harassment Settlements
The onset of the MeToo movement has changed the landscape for employees and employers across the country, and California has been at the forefront of making legislative changes in accordance with the movement. Effective this year, a new California law limits how businesses can resolve claims of workplace sexual harassment. Background on the New… Read More »
California Business Ranking – 2016
Every year, CNBC releases a ranking of America’s top states for business. The rankings are based on “60 measures of competitiveness, developed with input from a broad and diverse array of business and policy experts, official government sources, the CNBC Global CFO Council and the states themselves.” Typically, California is ranked one of the most difficult… Read More »
