Labor & Employment Law Blog

On April 26, 2016, the Santa Monica City Council approved amendments to its Sick Leave Ordinance (“Ordinance”) delaying its implementation until January 1, 2017.  This change will give employers extra time to comply with the Ordinance.  However, the Santa Monica minimum wage remains effective July 1, 2016, to increase to $10.50.

Rather than rushing to implement the new law this summer, the amended ...

On April 27, 2016, the federal Department of Labor (“DOL”) released an updated Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) poster.

In general, the FMLA requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to employees to care for the employee’s serious health condition or a serious health condition of a family member.  The FMLA requires such employers to post a notice regarding ...

On April 11, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed AB 908, which will increase workers’ access to State Disability Insurance (“SDI”) and Paid Family Leave (“PFL”) starting in 2018.

PFL provides wage replacement benefits for up to six weeks to care for a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner.  The State administers PFL through the SDI program.  PFL only provides ...

On Monday April 4, 2016, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 3, raising California’s minimum wage to $15.00 per hour by 2022 (“SB 3”).  California’s current minimum wage of $10.00 tied Massachusetts for the highest minimum wage for any state, and behind only Washington D.C.’s $10.50 minimum wage.

Increases to the minimum wage will begin January 1, 2017, at which time the minimum wage ...

On January 26, 2016, the Santa Monica City Council joined other California cities in enacting an ordinance that implements minimum wage and paid sick leave requirements that go beyond State requirements.

The California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) is reminding employers in the state that they are required to notify workers about the new law that mandates paid sick leave. [Notice to Employers]

The DIR notice reminds employers that all employers were required to post a notice about the new law in a conspicuous place at the work site by January 1, 2015.

Employers were also required to provide ...

On August 7, 2015, California’s Labor Commissioner issued an Opinion Letter confirming earlier guidance that employees who regularly work 10 hour shifts must be given up to 30 hours of paid sick leave under the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014.

California’s landmark sick leave law requires employers allow their employees to use “24 hours or three days” of sick leave each year.  ...

On July 6, 2015, the United States Department of Labor published proposed regulations that would substantially increase the minimum salary that must be paid to exempt employees under federal law to $50,440 or more.  The DOL published the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking was published in the Federal Register, opening a 60-day comment public comment period on the  proposed amendments to Fair Labor Standards Act ...

With eight days remaining before major provisions of California’s sick leave law become effective, the California Legislature continues to tinker with clean up legislation.  On June 22, 2015 the California Assembly amended and passed Assembly Bill 304 (Gonzalez) (“AB-304”), by a vote of 69-0.  AB-304 now goes to the California Senate for consideration.

As discussed during our recent Breakfast Briefings on the sick leave law, the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act of 2014, we have been tracking various bills at the California Legislature regarding sick leave.  Following is the latest on each of these bills: