Bay Area Employment Lawyer Blog

Starting on January 1, 2021, the California Family Rights Act will cover more employees and for more for reasons than ever before! You can find the text of the new law, SB 1383 here. Who is Covered by the Current Law? Under the current law, employers with fewer than 50 employees within a 75-mile radius…

“We’re gratified that the Court of Appeal recognized the power of our evidence that Kaiser failed to provide its members sufficient resources for adequate mental health care, and optimistic that we will be certified on remand so we can help provide some real relief to their members. These times especially highlight the importance of mental…

“Today, we must decide whether an employer can fire someone simply for being homosexual or transgender. The answer is clear.” “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender defies the law.” In today’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, the Supreme Court made clear that the anti-discrimination protections of Title…

The EEOC has provided good news for workers who are at high-risk for COVID-19. High-risk employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations in the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic! High-risk employees include any employees over 65 years of age. High-risk employees also include employees who have conditions the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has found make…

General Eligibility Requirements For Unemployment Benefits As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many employers are being forced to lay off, furlough, and/or reduce employee hours as a result of slow or nonexistent business. If you find yourself out of work, or working a reduced work schedule through no fault of your own, you…

Last week, the United States legislature passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This new law provides some much needed relief for workers who are out of work because they or their family members have contracted COVID-19, or because they do not have child care due to school…

We know many employees are facing uncertainty about their jobs in light of the current pandemic. You may have questions about what you can do if you are sick, or if you have been laid off due to cuts that have been made as a result of COVID-19 /Coronavirus. Many government agencies have put out…

Just ahead of the bill-signing deadline in October, Governor Newsom signed several worker-friendly bills including AB 51, AB 9, SB 142, and AB 749. When an employment situation sours and an employee pursues his rights, usually at some point there is talk of settlement. Almost routinely, employers include a no-rehire provision in any settlement agreement…

In June 2017, San Francisco enacted a groundbreaking ordinance that requires employers to provide lactating employees with reasonable breaks and a safe, clean space to pump breast milk. The ordinance acknowledged the health benefits and importance of breast feeding to both children and lactating mothers. The ordinance also prohibited employers from retaliating against women who…

As employers across the country reckon with the impacts of the #MeToo movement, the California legislature and Governor Newsom took decisive action to extend the statute of limitations on certain workplace claims, acknowledging that those who have been targeted by discrimination, harassment, and retaliation do not always come forward immediately. The California Fair Employment and…