Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Senate Bill 973: California Employees Need To Submit Their First Annual Pay Data Reports by March 31, 2021
To reduce California’s pay gap, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 973 on September 30, 2020 that gives the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) the authority to obtain annual pay data reports from employers. As discussed in this blog, covered employers need to submit their first reports by March 31, 2021,… Read More »
California Banned Most Mandatory Arbitration Agreements for Employees—But Litigation is Still Ongoing
In October of 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 51 (AB 51) into law. As drafted, AB 51 prohibits employers from requiring job applicants and/or employees to sign mandatory arbitration agreements to resolve claims arising under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) or the state’s labor code. In effect, AB… Read More »
Employees: Forced to Quit to Protect Your Workplace? You May Have a “Wrongful Constructive Termination” Claim Under California Law.
In employment law, we use the term “constructive termination” or “constructive discharge” to refer to a situation where an employee is essentially forced to quit due to intolerable working conditions. If these same conditions would support legal action against the employer if the employee had been fired outright, the term is often known as… Read More »
Employers: How to Cope with California’s Minimum Wage Laws for 2021
A new year means that California employers face mandatory updates to the state’s minimum wage rules. As of January 1, 2021, the minimum wage is now either $13 or $14 per hour depending on the number of people you employ in your business. This is part of the California government’s overall scheme to eventually… Read More »
Assembly Bill 1947: California Courts Will Award Attorney Fees To Whistleblowers Starting in 2021
In California, most government agencies, as well as the legislators, work hard to protect employees’ rights in every way possible. For example, there are already numerous specific laws aimed at preventing employers from retaliating against employees in a protected class or employees who report their employers’ violations of law. The latter are known as… Read More »
Expansion of the CFRA: Good News for Employees and Tough News for Employers in Small Companies
The California Family Rights Act (CFRA), at California Government Code sections 12945.1 to 12945.2, is a California state law that has applied in the past to employers with 50 or more employees and permits employees to take up to twelve (12) weeks of unpaid and work-protected leave for various personal or medical reasons. In… Read More »