By:  Lizbeth V. West, Esq.

On June 10, 2013, the Seattle City Council unanimously passed a new city ordinance called the “Job Assistance Bill.” The new ordinance applies to employers of all sizes, including temporary and staffing agencies.Continue Reading Seattle Employers Beware: Use of Arrest and Conviction Records In Employment Decisions May Violate the City’s New Job Assistance Bill

By: Chuck Post and Lizbeth West

The EEOC issued its “Enforcement Guidance on the Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions Under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e et seq.” on April 25, 2012. (“EEOC Enforcement Guidance No. 915.002”.)
Continue Reading Arrest and Conviction History: As to Banks and Financial Institutions, Is the EEOC’s Guidance Built on An Erroneous Foundation?

Governor Brown recently signed into law AB 2674, imposing new requirements on how and when employers respond to employees’ requests for inspection and copying of their personnel files.
Continue Reading Changes to Procedures and Timing for Providing Employee Personnel Records Under Labor Code § 1198.5

By:       Chuck Post

Because employers and employees have the right to reach agreement as to the terms, conditions and nature of the work, many employers believe that anything they can get an employee to agree to is legal and permissible. This notion can lead an employer into a violation of law. Some obligations, however, such as the obligation to pay overtime to non-exempt workers, the provision of worker’s compensation, and the obligation to provide a safe work environment (to name just a few) cannot be bargained away. An employee’s agreement to surrender these statutory protections is void, and can also constitute a violation of criminal law.Continue Reading Wage and Hour Refresher: Are You Committing a Misdemeanor?