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California

Enhanced pay report proposed for fed contractors

10/27/2014
The U.S. Department of Labor has issued a Notice of Proposed Rule­­making that would require the Office of Federal Contract Com­­pliance Programs to collect pay data from federal contractors.

On-set death prompts OSHA cites against film company

10/27/2014
OSHA has cited a Pasadena film production company for one willful and one serious safety violation for exposing employees to hazards that killed a camera assistant.

FMLA claim may come separately from others

10/27/2014

Generally, employees have to file EEOC discrimination complaints if they want to go to federal court with their claims. The EEOC eventually will issue a right-to-sue letter, giving the employee 90 days to commence litigation. But that can take years. If the employee waits to file a re­­lated FMLA lawsuit, she may be out of luck, since FMLA claims must be filed within two years of the alleged wrongful conduct.

Forget the gold watch! Present last check instead

10/27/2014

Employees who quit in California must receive their last checks within 72 hours if the employee provides no advance notice. If the worker does provide at least 72 hours’ notice, the payment must be immediate. But what about employees who announce their retirement—presumably at least 72 hours before their last workday?

Complicated compensation formula? Prepare to spell out all details in court

10/27/2014
Here’s a warning for employers with overly complicated compensation systems: If someone believes the pay plan is discriminatory, you’ll probably have to spend considerable time explaining the system in court. Simpler may be better.

Not so fast: Arbitration agreements won’t necessarily block class-action suit

10/27/2014

The idea behind arbitration agreements is that handling workplace disputes in arbitration instead of court is easier, less expensive and less time consuming. But don’t think that having arbitration agreements in place will automatically block lawsuits in federal court.

Appeals court: Employee doesn’t have to be first whistle-blower to be protected

10/27/2014

Public employees are protected from retaliation for reporting wrongdoing at work, either within their chain of command or to appropriate authorities. But what if several employees report the same alleged wrongdoing?

Disrespect? That’s not grounds for lawsuit

10/27/2014
While politically incorrect statements may be distasteful and offensive, they aren’t necessarily grounds for a lawsuit. That’s especially true if the statement can’t be tied directly to a protected characteristic such as national origin, religion or race.

Pursuit of SoCal dentist shows wage law has teeth

10/27/2014
For a Southern California cook, getting paid was like pulling teeth. For five months he was a private chef for a dentist, but was never paid.

Focus on behavior when disciplining jerks

10/06/2014
Some employees behave in ways that create an unpleasant environment for their co-workers, subordinates or supervisors. There’s no reason to put up with bullies and other ill-behaved employees.