It’s October, and that means the 2020-2021 California legislative session has officially ended, and Governor Newsom has signed many new bills into law. As always, several of these new laws affect employers across the state. Over the next several days/weeks, our employment group will ensure that employers are informed and ready to implement the new laws as 2022 approaches. Continue Reading Legislative Update: Don’t Toss those Personnel Records Just Yet
For those in the Sacramento area, you may have seen large “Destiny” signs overhanging State Route 65 north of Interstate 80. A news story last month suggested that this church is the place to go for COVID-19 vaccine exemption letters. Now that President Biden is planning to use the emergency powers of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to mandate vaccination for an estimated 100 million employees, the issue is even more prominent. Continue Reading An Employee Has Requested a Religious Exemption to the Company Vaccine Mandate—What Now?
On September 15, 2021, California’s efforts against the enforcement of employment arbitration agreements continue as the Ninth Circuit reversed, in part, a district court’s conclusion that California Assembly Bill 51 (AB 51) is preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Saves Most of California’s New Anti-Employment-Arbitration Law
Earlier, President Joe Biden announced vaccination requirements for the federal government workers but allowed them to “opt out” if they agreed to more stringent mitigation measures. He also implored private sector employers to encourage vaccination, and many employers began implementing mandatory vaccination plans or incentivizing employees to get vaccinated. Continue Reading Biden’s Path Out of the Pandemic: New COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for Large Employers, Federal Contractors and Health Care Workers
Note: This post was updated on June 18, 2021.
On June 17, 2021, the Cal/OSHA Standards Board voted 5-1 to approve the revised Covid-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (“ETS”) and, as promised, Governor Newsom promptly issued Executive Order No. N-09-21 holding that the new ETS shall not be subject to the regular 10-day approval process by the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) for emergency regulations. Instead, the new ETS became effective when the OAL filed them with the California Secretary of State on June 18, 2021. As a result, face coverings/masking and other social distancing requirements shall be consistent between Cal/OSHA rules and public health guidelines from the CDC and California Department of Public Health. Continue Reading Cal/OSHA Update: THE VOTES ARE IN AND IT’S OFFICIAL!
