California Bans Hairstyle Discrimination

By Carolyn Rashby & Michelle Barineau on July 11, 2019

Bolstering the state’s reputation for progressive employment legislation, California has become the first state to ban discrimination based on natural hair and protective hairstyles. On July 3, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law SB 188, which amends the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), specifying that “hair discrimination targeting hairstyles associated with race is racial discrimination.” The Creating a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act, takes effect on…

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DOL Labels Gig Economy Company’s Workers as Independent Contractors

By Carolyn Rashby & Michelle Barineau on May 14, 2019

On April 29, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division issued an opinion letter finding that “virtual marketplace company” workers (of an unnamed business) were independent contractors rather than employees. While not binding, the opinion signals that DOL is taking a less aggressive approach than in recent years to the hot-button issue of worker classification in the online “gig economy.” Companies with similar business models that link workers with consumers through…

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DOL Publishes Proposal to Expand Overtime Protections

By Lindsay Burke, Carolyn Rashby & Tom Plotkin on March 14, 2019

Following two years of anticipation, after a similar but more aggressive rule was proposed by President Obama’s administration and then squashed by federal courts in Texas, the Department of Labor (DOL) has issued the long-awaited Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that, if enacted, would expand access to overtime pay for certain employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). DOL estimates that this change could expand overtime eligibility for over one million American workers, about 3.7…

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Rulings Question the Enforceability of Employee Non-Solicitation Covenants in California

By Carolyn Rashby on March 8, 2019

Over three decades ago, in Loral Corp. v. Moyes, a California Court of Appeal held that employee non-solicitation agreements, which bar former employees from soliciting the employer’s existing employees, could be enforceable. In 2008, the California Supreme Court in Edwards v. Arthur Andersen LLP held that non-competition agreements are unlawful restraints on trade and void under California Business & Professions Code section 16600 (with limited statutory exceptions), but left open whether employee non-solicitation provisions amounted…

Carolyn Rashby

California Bans Hairstyle Discrimination

DOL Labels Gig Economy Company’s Workers as Independent Contractors

DOL Publishes Proposal to Expand Overtime Protections

Rulings Question the Enforceability of Employee Non-Solicitation Covenants in California

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