2016 Minimum Wages Change and What This Means for Employees Paid By Salary
As of January 1, 2016 the minimum hourly rate of pay in California increased from $9 to $10 per hour. This means if anyone in California is getting paid less…
Ambiguity in Employment Contracts
Where an employment contract is ambiguous, it will be construed most strongly against the party preparing it or employing the words concerning which doubt arises. This rule applies to contracts…
Harris and Mixed Motives in Discrimination Cases
The Supreme Court of California determined in Harris v. City of Santa Monica (2013) 56 Cal.4th 203, the proper remedy permitted for a plaintiff in a discrimination employment case under…
Martinez v. Combs and the Expanded Definition of “Employer”
The California Supreme Court has recently expanded the definition of “employer” and what it means to “employ” for the purposes of Labor Code wage and hour violations. In the case…
How Hostile Does It Have to Be?
Racist comments or ethnic slurs at work can amount to a “hostile work environment” depending on the number of incidents and the working relationship between the speaker and receiver of…
Gavel
Some Recent Changes in Misc California Law for 2007 & 2008
1. Employers with 25 of more employees must give "qualified employees" as many as 10days off (unpaid) when their spouse is on leave from military deployment. Effective October 9, 2007.…
Types of Harassment
In California workplace harassment is prohibited. Most people think this only applies to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is certainly the most common form of harassment we see in our Courts,…
Harassment Feels Wrong
There are several legal definitions of what constitutes actionable workplace harassment. Some definitions are statutory (i.e., created by statute) while others are stated in case law (i.e., set forth by…