Labor & Employment Law Blog

Many employers outsource some or all of their payroll and related tax duties to third party payroll service providers.  These related tax duties may include withholding, reporting, and paying over certain employment (i.e. FICA, Medicare, SDI) and income taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and California Employment Development Department (EDD).

A California jury returned a verdict in favor of Dollar Tree Stores, Inc. last week, finding that the discount retailer’s practice of printing employee paystubs on cash register receipts did not violate California law requiring employers to provide accurate wage statements to employees.  Guillen v. Dollar Tree Stores Inc., case number 2:15-cv-03813, (U.S. District Court for the Central District of ...

Berkeley’s Paid Sick Leave Ordinance took effect October 1, 2017.  The Berkeley minimum wage also increased on October 1, 2017.  And earlier this month, the City issued new guidance on its Family Friendly and Environment Friendly Workplace and Paid Sick Leave Ordinances.  The details of the Ordinances are outlined below.

Minimum Wage

Berkeley’s current minimum wage is $12.53 per hour and is scheduled to ...

On September 15, 2017, the 2017 California legislative session ended, with several employment-related bills being sent to the Governor’s desk.  The Governor has until October 15, 2017 to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature.  Below is a quick summary of key bills that may be signed and become effective in the upcoming year:

On August 31, 2017, a federal judge in the Eastern District of Texas ruled the Department of Labor (“DOL”) exceeded its authority by more than doubling the minimum salary level needed for an employee to qualify for the “executive, administrative, or professional” exemption from federal overtime and minimum wage laws (commonly referred to as the “white collar exemption”).  U.S. District Court ...

On August 29, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) informed the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that it is suspending implementation of the EEO-1 form that was revised on September 29, 2016, in accordance with the OMB’s authority under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).  This means that employers will not be required to report salary information with the EEO-1 Report due on March 31, 2018.

The minimum wage rates in 10 localities in California are set to increase effective July 1, 2017.  The increases are as follows:

• Emeryville: $14.00 per hour (for employers with 55 or fewer employees); $15.20 per hour (for employers with 56 or more employees).
• Milpitas: $11.00 per hour
• San Francisco: $14.00 per hour
• San Jose: $12.00 per hour
• San Leandro: $12.00 per hour
• Los Angeles (City): $12.00 per hour (for ...

Recently, after years of litigation, the California Court of Appeal published its decision approving See’s Candy Shops, Inc.’s (“See’s”) rounding and grace-period policies.  (Silva v. See’s Candy Shops, Inc. (2016) 7 Cal. App. 5th 235).

The court previously approved See’s rounding policy in 2012, in See's Candy Shops, Inc. v. Superior Court (2012) 210 Cal.App.4th 889, but left open the ...

Recently, the California Department of Industrial Relations (“DIR”) published two FAQs addressing minimum wage increases under California law to assist employers with the implementation of the new rates going into effect between 2017 and 2023.

As of January 1, 2017, the State minimum wage increased to $10.50 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees.  The State minimum wage remains at $10.00 per ...

In late August, 2016, the Berkeley City Council approved a new sick leave ordinance that will take effect October 1, 2017.  The City Council also approved scheduled increases to the City minimum wage.  Until now, it was unclear whether the minimum wage and sick leave rules the City Council implemented would be altered by competing measures on the City ballot.  On Tuesday, November 8, 2016, voters in Berkeley voted ...