Archive for San Francisco

Updates to San Francisco’s “Safer Return Together Order” Effective August 20, 2021

Keeping up with the ever-changing COVID-19 landscape can be difficult, and the Delta variant seems to be escalating the timing for officials to get more guidelines in place.  On August 12, 2021, there were some major changes made in San Francisco by the Department of Health, which will…

San Francisco Hazard Pay Ordinance Expires Today

San Francisco’s emergency COVID-Related Hazard Pay Ordinance (the “Ordinance”), which became effective on March 22, 2021, required certain large San Francisco employers (primarily grocery stores and drug stores with 500 or more employees worldwide) to pay employees an additional $5.00 per hour in hazard pay on top of…

San Francisco Issues New Lactation Regulations for Employers

In June 2017, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the “Lactation in the Workplace Ordinance.”  This was the nation’s first-ever law requiring employers to have a workplace lactation policy that ensures employees get lactation breaks and have access to a “lactation accommodation space.” This new ordinance, which…

San Francisco Employers May No Longer Ask About or Consider Salary History

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors today approved a new ordinance that prohibits employers from asking candidates about their salary history.  The new ordinance, if signed by San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee as expected, will go into effect on July 1, 2018.  Referred to as the “Parity in…

California Minimum Wage Increases to $10.50 on January 1, 2017

For businesses with more than 25 employees, the state’s minimum wage will increase from $10.00/hour to $10.50/hour  starting on January 1, 2017. [Note:  Employers in San Francisco and Oakland (and many other municipalities), however, this new state minimum wage is still lower than the local minimum wage required by…

SF Minimum Wage Increases to $13.00/hr

Today, the minimum wage for workers in the City & County of San Francisco goes up to $13.00 per hour, up from the previous $12.25 per hour.  This contrasts with the state’s current minimum wage, which is $10.00 per hour. In addition to San Francisco, several other California…

SF Mayor Signs Ordinance Expanding Paid Family Leave

Yesterday, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed a local ordinance that requires San Francisco employers to compensate eligible employees while taking paid family leave (“PFL”) to bond with a new child. The New PFL Benefit Under existing California law, the State already pays eligible employees 55% of their…

SF and Oakland Pass Laws Raising the Minimum Wage

The California statewide minimum wage is currently $9.00 per hour.  It will increase to $10.00 per hour on January 1, 2016 as a result of the passage of AB 10, which I blogged about here. But local jurisdictions are always free to set higher minimum wages, and that…

Mayor Lee Signs “Ban the Box” Ordinance

As predicted, on February 17, 2014 San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed the San Francisco Supervisors’ “Ban the Box” ordinance.  This means that employers, contractors, and affordable housing providers will have very limited use of criminal background checks in vetting employees or tenants in San Francisco. This new…

SF Board of Supervisors Unanimously Passes “Ban the Box” Ordinance

On February 11, 2014, the SF Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a new ordinance barring most employers and housing providers from (1) asking applicants to disclose their criminal background in the application process, and (2) using criminal background history or records in the employment or housing selection process….