Back in May, the California Supreme Court clarified an employer’s obligation to provide its employees with a weekly day of rest when employees filed a suit against Nordstrom. (Read the article here.) After the Court held that Nordstrom did not…

California enacted the Small Business Gender Discrimination in Services Compliance Act (Assembly Bill Number 1615) at the end of July, which expands existing law regarding prohibition on gender-based pricing discrimination. The existing law prohibits a business from discriminating on the…

Last week, the California Supreme Court clarified an employer’s obligation to provide its employees with a weekly day of rest. This clarification required interpretation of the Labor Code provision which prohibits an employer from “caus[ing] his employees to work more…

The law continues to evolve in answering the question of when an employer is held liable for an employee’s actions. The legal doctrine of “respondeat superior” imposes liability on employers for actions of their employees. The purpose of the doctrine…

When a Fresno female math teacher discovered that the County was paying her less than her male counterparts for the same work, she filed a suit under the Equal Pay Act. For the female teacher to be successful in this…

At the end of March, the California Court of Appeal found that employee compensation plans must separately account and pay for rest periods to comply with California law. This decision directly affects employers who compensate employees through commission or piece-rate…

The 9th Circuit court has further defined what constitutes a “hostile work environment” with regards to sexual harassment. In a recent case, a Yolo County correctional officer claimed that the country sheriff, who oversaw more approximately 250 employees, created a…

California legislators put forth several employment bills in recent weeks set to impact private sector employers. For the bills to become effective, the Legislature will still need to vote on each bill. The bills that the Legislature passes will then…

1. Federal Exempt Salary Requirement on Hold; California Increase The December 1, 2016 increase in the minimum salary level for exempt employees was put on hold nationwide at the decision of a Texas Judge. The scheduled increase was set to…

Generally, an employer is liable for its employee’s actions while the employee is acting within the scope of his or her employment. Activities such as traveling to and from work are considered to be outside the scope of employment, and…