2020 opens with numerous legal challenges to California’s new employment laws taking effect on January 1, 2020.  The new laws targeted by business groups are AB 5, which makes it more difficult for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors, and AB 51, which prohibits employers from requiring mandatory arbitration agreements with employees.  If this week is any indication about how 2020 will unfold on the employment legal front, it will be an interesting year. …

By Michael Thompson Just two days before it was slated to take effect, California’s controversial new law on mandatory arbitration agreements is in legal limbo. AB 51, signed by the Governor in October, would make it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to require employees or applicants to “waive any right, forum, or procedure for a violation of” the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) or the Labor Code. In other words, employers…

This Friday’s five article covers five reminders about the California minimum wage increase and its impact upon exempt employees: 1. As of January 1, 2020, the minimum wage in California increased from $12.00 per hour to $13.00 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees (the increase is from $11.00 per hour to $12.00 per hour for employers with 25 or fewer employees on January 1, 2020). 2. With the increase in the state…

Happy holidays!  As the year comes to an end, I wanted to share five of the most popular articles, podcasts, and videos we created in 2019.  I hope followers found our content helpful in 2019, and, as always, if you have any suggestions for topics or areas to discuss in 2020, please let us know.  Here is the five most popular articles, podcasts, and videos from 2019: 1. Article: Salary increases required for exempt employees …

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about whether entrepreneurs are born or if they are made over time.  I enjoy working with entrepreneurs; I love their spirit, drive, and persistence, even when the odds are stacked against them.  The perennial question will likely be debated for many years to come, but here are five qualities that I believe make a successful entrepreneur/business founder: 1. They don’t do it for the status. A restaurant client of…

Article by: Michael Thompson On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, a Los Angeles jury hit billionaire Alki David and two of his media companies, FilmOn and Alki David Productions, with an $8.25 million verdict on claims of battery, sexual battery, and sexual harassment brought by Mahim Khan, a former employee. After turkey and stuffing, the jury returned the next Monday, deliberated for one hour, and awarded Khan $50 million in punitive damages against David. The case…

As 2019 comes to an end, it is a great time to audit employment policies and practices.  The next series of posts will be a review of a few practices California employers should review on a periodic basis.  Obviously, it is important to work with a qualified attorney to ensure compliance, but I wanted to highlight a few issues on these topics that employers can use to start a self-audit that then can be used…