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California

Employment Lawyer Network:
California

Joseph L. Beachboard (Editor)

California Employment Law

Joe.Beachboard@OgletreeDeakins.com
(213) 239-9800

Click for Full Bio

Joseph L. Beachboard is a nationally recognized expert on employment law issues who speaks regularly at SHRM and other HR events. He also is a regular contributor to several national and California publications. In 2000, Mr. Beachboard sold The Labor Letters, Inc., a publisher of monthly employment law journals that he founded to advise human resource professionals. He is a founding member and executive director of the Management Employment Law Roundtable, a national, invitation only, organization of management labor and employment lawyers.

Use date-and-time-stamp to document when firing decision was really made

07/30/2019
Having proof of exactly when you recorded the need for discipline can be useful if a claim winds up in court.

‘Ministerial exception’ may not cover schools

07/30/2019
Back in 2012, the U.S. Supreme Court provided some limited protection for religious organizations in their role as employers. The court outlined a test for the exception, which consists of four factors. Here’s how that played out in a recent case.

OK to punish insulting language in complaint

07/30/2019
HR specialists and managers know they can’t punish a worker for complaining about discrimination or many other internal complaints, including whistleblowing. But that doesn’t mean your hands are tied when the complaint itself is delivered in an outrageous way.

New California state law extends paid leave to eight weeks

07/30/2019
Effective July 1, 2020, workers who receive paid family leave benefits under the California State Disability Insurance Program will be able to receive eight weeks of paid leave instead of the current six weeks.

Soon to be banned in California: Bias based on hairstyle

07/03/2019
On June 27, the California Assembly passed Senate Bill 188, which broadens the definition of “race” in California’s anti-discrimination law to include “traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles.”

Fresno plumbing company settles in DOL overtime case

07/02/2019
Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, M&L Plumbing has agreed to pay $113,351 in back pay. The DOL found that the company owed 39 employees the money for unpaid overtime.

EEOC national-origin bias suit cost $650,000 to settle

07/02/2019
Pape Material Handling, a Fresno company that sells, rents and services forklifts, has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle EEOC claims that it discriminated on the basis of national origin.

Never discourage laid-off employees from reapplying

07/02/2019
If you use economic reasons to justify laying off employees, be careful not to discourage them from applying for other jobs. That could be evidence you targeted them for termination for some unlawful reason.

Ensure each worker receives your arbitration agreement

07/02/2019
To bind workers to the terms of an arbitration agreement, employers must prove those workers actually received a copy.

In addition to applicants and staff, your customers have ADA rights, too

07/02/2019
Employers tend to focus on accommodating disabled applicants and employees, but forget about accommodating disabled customers. They may not worry about accessibility unless a disabled applicant or employee asks for accommodations. That can be a mistake.