Long Beach Adopts Self-Checkout Staffing Ordinance
In late August 2025, the City of Long Beach approved a new ordinance implementing self-service checkout staffing requirements in certain retail settings. Effective September 21,…
Los Angeles City Hotel, Airport Worker Minimum Wage Increase Now in Effect, Affects Santa Monica Hotel Workers
In late June 2025, a referendum petition challenging Los Angeles City’s hotel and airport worker minimum wage ordinance was filed with the Los Angeles City…
Employer Didn’t Violate Title VII When It Denied Vaccine Accommodation
Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court ruling for Snohomish Regional Fire and Rescue (SRFR), finding it didn’t violate Title VII…
New Flow Charts Added in PAGA FAQs Update
After the 2024 Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) reform, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) published frequently asked questions (FAQs), including information on who can…
Stopped: New Employer Penalty, Burdensome Changes to Claims Process
A CalChamber-led coalition of business groups, including local chambers of commerce, has stopped a Cost Driver bill that would have exposed employers to a new 30 percent penalty…
Increase Your Confidence Disciplining, Terminating California Employees
Can I terminate an employee who is “not a good fit” in their first few weeks? What information should be in a disciplinary warning? What…
‘Misconduct’ Not Automatic Cause for Denying Unemployment Benefits
We terminated an employee, and she has filed a claim for unemployment benefits. We want to fight her claim because she was fired for falsifying…
CalChamber Weighs in on Cal/OSHA Processes
A joint hearing of several legislative committees last week on the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) processes provided an opportunity for the…
California Supreme Court Clarifies Good-Faith Defense to Unpaid Wage Claims
Typically, employees who prove minimum wage violations are entitled to liquidated damages. Recently though, the California Supreme Court issued an opinion clarifying employers’ good-faith defense…
Ninth Circuit Validates Employers’ Piece-Rate Compensation Plan
California law imposes special conditions on employers who choose to compensate employees on a “piece-rate” or per task basis. For example, these employees must receive…