Following the Yellow Brick Road of Employee Leave Rights and Accommodations.  SEAC invites you to spend the morning with attorneys and leave and accommodation experts Lizbeth (“Beth”) West and Charles (“Chuck”) Post from Weintraub Tobin as they discuss the ins and outs of this difficult area of employment law.

Date:         Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Time:         7:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m.

Location:       Sacramento State Alumni Center, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA

For information and details of this workshop, please click here.

A California businessman, Walter Liew, was recently sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after being found guilty by a jury on charges of trade secret theft, economic espionage, witness tampering and making false statements.  Mr. Liew, who had contracts with a Chinese company Pangang Group, was charged with stealing trade secrets from DuPont that included plans and information regarding a manufacturing plant.  The prosecutors allege that Mr. Liew helped the Pangang Group obtain these trade secrets to develop a manufacturing plant in China that would produce titanium dioxide, a white pigment.

Mr. Liew’s prosecution is another example of ongoing efforts by U.S. prosecutors to deter China from engaging in economic espionage and trade secret theft.  For more details about this case, please see http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-10/man-gets-15-years-prison-for-stealing-dupont-secrets.html.

On July 14, 2014 the EEOC issued its updated “Enforcement Guidance on Pregnancy Discrimination and Related Issues” (“Guidance”).  The stated purpose of the Guidance is to provide information regarding the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (“PDA”) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) as they apply to pregnant employees.  In addition to the new Guidance, the EEOC also issued a Q&A document and a Fact Sheet which both address the issues covered in the Guidance.

The Guidance summarizes the statutory protections for pregnant employees under the PDA and the ADA.   The Guidance includes specific discussions of:

  •  When employer actions may constitute unlawful discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions in violation of the PDA;
  •  The obligation of employers under the PDA to provide pregnant workers equal access to benefits of employment such as leave, light duty, and health benefits; and
  •  How Title I of the ADA (which went into effect over a decade after the PDA and was amended in 2008 to broaden the definition of disability) applies to individuals with pregnancy-related impairments.

The Guidance also discusses protections under various other laws like the FMLA, Executive Order 13152 which prohibits discrimination based on status as a parent, and certain state laws. It concludes with a section on best practices for employers.  Copies of the Guidance, the Q&A document, and the Fact Sheet can be obtained at:

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/pregnancy_guidance.cfm.

http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/pregnancy_qa.cfm.

http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/publications/pregnancy_factsheet.cfm.

 The Labor and Employment lawyers at Weintraub Tobin have years of experience in counseling employers in connection with workplace pregnancy-related issues.  Feel free to contact any of them at (916) 558-6000 or visit our website at www.weintraub.com.

The California legislature has a number of important bills pending passage that would significantly affect employers.  We are following these bills closely so that employers can be prepared for what 2015 may bring.  Click here for a look at the status of the bills of interest to California private-sector employers as the legislature begins its summer recess on July 3.

Summary of Program

Join Weintraub Tobin employment attorney, Beth West, as she discusses the fundamentals of an effective workplace investigation.

Program Highlights

  • The duty to investigate
  • Determining who will do the investigation
  • Tips for conducting the investigation
    • Preparation
    • Witness Interviews
    • Documentation
  • The consequences for a poorly planned or incomplete investigation
  • The consequences for failing to investigate

Date:    July 17, 2014

Time:  12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

To register for this webinar, please email Ramona Carrillo at rcarrillo@weintraub.com.  For additional information, visit our website at www.weintraub.com and click on the News and Events tab.