Archive for Compensation and Benefits

uWait, uWork, iPay

The California Supreme Court recently clarified that California law requires that Apple Inc. pay its workers for all time they spend waiting to be searched before leaving Apple retail stores. In Frlekin v. Apple, Inc., workers at Apple’s retail stores filed a class action lawsuit against Apple Inc….

U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on the FFCRA

As we discussed in a previous blog post which you can find here, the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) created two new paid leave entitlements employees working in companies with fewer than 500 employees.  We are referring to these new entitlements as Emergency FMLA Leave and…

When “Shelter At Home” Includes “Work From Home” – Legal and Practical Issues

Many businesses have some experience with employees working remotely whether from allowing certain employees to telecommute, employees traveling for business, or otherwise.  Until recently, though, very few California employers had 100% of their workforce working remotely.  The COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly changed that.  Today—and for the indefinite future—all…

New Guidance On Paid Sick Leave for San Francisco Employees

On March 24, 2020, the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (“OLSE”) issued guidance regarding how employees can use paid sick leave they have accrued pursuant to San Francisco’s local ordinance during the local health emergency San Francisco is experiencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. San Francisco’s…

The “Families First Coronavirus Response Act” Creates Two New Kinds of Paid Leave

On March 18, 2020, President Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act  (“FFCRA”) into law.  This post is focused on two provisions that will be of particular importance to employers. EMERGENCY EXPANSION OF THE FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE ACT Under a portion of the FFCRA called The…

McDonald’s Settles Class Action Wage/Hour Case for $26 Million

McDonald’s recently agreed to pay $26 million to settle allegations that it had violated California’s wage and hour laws.  The case was pending for 7 years and involved a class of 38,000 cooks and cashiers working at corporate-owned locations throughout California.  McDonald’s always denied any violations of the…

California Passes SB 78, a Statewide Version of Obamacare

Effective January 1, 2020, and as a result of the passage of Senate Bill (“SB”) 78, California now has a statewide healthcare mandate that is similar to the federal Affordable Care Act (“ACA”). Like the federal ACA, California’s new mandate requires most California residents to purchase and maintain…

New Employer Notification Obligations for FSA Accounts

Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed AB 1554 into law, which requires California employers who offer their employees Flexible Spending Accounts (“FSAs”) to provide their workers with two separate notices reminding them that they must use the funds in their FSAs before the end of the plan year or…

Attracting and Keeping Millennial Employees

The tech boom seems to have brought about a major shift in what employees and candidates expect from their (prospective) employers. According to a February 2019 CNBC article, this is especially true amongst millennials. On one hand, employers—particularly those within the tech realm—are offering an increasing number of…

Heads Up — July 1 Minimum Wage Increases

If you do business in any of the cities below, be sure that as of July 1, 2019, you began paying any minimum wage employees at the current increased rates. If you use a payroll service, they likely notified you and took care of it.  But if you…