On July 30, 2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 30 into law, changing existing law to permit opposite-sex couples under the age of 62 years old to register as domestic partners. Those who enter into domestic partnerships have the same rights, protections, and benefits as spouses under California law, including the right, if otherwise
New California Law Mandates Enhanced Lactation Accommodations and Significant New Penalties for Employer Non-Compliance
A new California law, Senate Bill 142 (“SB 142”), effective January 1, 2020, expands on existing Labor Code requirements for employee lactation accommodations and provides significant new consequences to employers for non-compliance. Under pre-existing law (Cal. Labor Code 1030 et seq.), employers were required to make reasonable efforts to provide a private location, other than
It’s Back to School Time—Which Means California School Activities Leave
It is back to school time for school children, which means that parents are more likely to request time off to attend to child care or other school activities. And in California—parents have leave entitlements which employers should be mindful of. Please find the rest of this article on our California Workplace Law Blog here
San Francisco Employers May Have to Pay More in Paid Parental Leave Benefits in 2020
As Bay Area employers are well aware, San Francisco has several local employment-related ordinances that provide additional benefits to individuals performing work within the geographical boundaries of the City. One such benefit is paid parental leave. Please find the rest of this article on our California Workplace Law Blog here.
Will They or Won’t They: A Look at Some Significant Proposed California Legislation Relating to Leaves, Disability, and Other Protected Time Off
With May 31st 2019, marking the deadline for bills to be passed by their California house of origin, the following are some key pieces of employment legislation that may find their way to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk in October. Here is a round-up of potential 2020 legislation worth watching:
Assembly Bill 767 – This bill
Do I Have to Grant Leave for Employee Requests to Attend Their Children’s School Activities? Maybe in California
School children are back at school following winter break, and that may mean employee requests for time off for parent-teacher conferences, school assemblies, and more. While less known, California law has a collection of statutes affording parents protected time off. One of those protections is California Labor Code section 230.8, which provides parents, and other
California State Disability Insurance (SDI) Increases
It’s a new year, and California SDI benefits will be increasing. The SDI withholding rate continues to be 1.0% of wages. But, the taxable wage limit will increase from $114,967 to $118,371.
For new SDI claims (whether for short-term disability benefits or paid family leave benefits) the maximum weekly benefit will increase from $1,216 to
Expanded Paid Family Leave Benefits Coming to California Employees
Under the Family Medical Leave Act, eligible employees are entitled to take time off for due to a “qualifying exigency” arising from the deployment of the employee’s spouse, parent, or child for active military duty to a foreign country. Examples of “qualifying exigencies” include attendance at military events, making childcare arrangements arising from a military
California Governor Vetoes Parental Leave Bill Which Would Have Expanded Such Leave to Small Employers
The DOL’s final rule on paid sick leave was not the only news-making event in the world of leave management last Friday. While additional time off was being lauded by the federal government, additional protected leave was rejected in California.
On Friday September 30, 2016, California’s Governor Brown vetoed SB 654 (Jackson), the New Parent Leave Act. The Senate Bill would have created a new protected leave of absence for employers with 20 or more employees within a 75-mile radius in California. The vetoed bill would have added an additional 6 weeks of “parental leave” to bond with a new child within one year of the child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement leave, thus creating a potential total of over 5 months of protected leave for certain California employees. The bill also would have prohibited employers from refusing to maintain and pay for coverage under a group health plan for an employee who takes the additional parental leave.
Continue Reading