Tag Archives: california

Coronavirus and the Workplace: What Employers Need To Know

*** Last Updated: March 13, 2020 *** News that cases of the newly-identified 2019 Novel Coronavirus (also referred to as COVID-19, 2019-nCoV, or SARS-CoV-2, but more commonly known simply as the “Coronavirus”) continue to spread has prompted employers to think about employee safety and ways to address prevention in the workplace, as well as planning … Continue Reading

California Enacts Law Prohibiting Hairstyle Discrimination … with New York and New Jersey Close Behind

By Tony Oncidi, Laura Fant and Cole Lewis on July 12, 2019 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation

UPDATE: Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the New York bill into law on July 12, 2019 (effective immediately). As we have reported before, California is set to become the first state to prohibit employers from discriminating based upon hairstyle. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the “CROWN Act” (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace … Continue Reading

[Podcast]: Recent Developments in California Law

By Tony Oncidi and Harris Mufson on June 5, 2018 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Independent Contractor, The Proskauer Brief Podcast, Wage and Hour, Workplace Policies and Procedures

In this episode of The Proskauer Brief, partner Tony Oncidi and senior counsel Harris Mufson discuss key developments in California employment law, including a new test to determine whether workers are independent contractors or employees and what’s new on the #MeToo front. Listen to the podcast. … Continue Reading

California Enacts Statewide Law Restricting Inquiries into Applicants’ Salary History

By Tony Oncidi and Laura Fant on October 13, 2017 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks

California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a statewide salary history inquiry law that will largely restrict employers in the state from seeking and relying upon salary history information from applicants during the hiring process. The law, which will go into effect on January 1, 2018 and will apply to all private and public … Continue Reading

New York and California Equal Pay Laws Set to Take Effect in New Year

By Evandro Gigante and Yonatan Grossman-Boder on December 31, 2015 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Workplace Policies and Procedures

New equal pay laws are coming into effect in 2016 in both New York and California. The New York law, passed as part of the Women’s Equality Agenda, will come into effect on January 19, 2016, and the California law will become effective on January 1, 2016. Both new laws enact broader prohibitions on wage … Continue Reading

California Court Dismisses FCRA Class Action Against LinkedIn

By Katharine Parker, Daniel Saperstein and Kelly Anne Targett on May 14, 2015 Posted in Hiring/Background Checks

In recent years, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) has become the focus of increasing litigation. By way of background, FCRA regulates consumer reporting agencies (CRAs) that assemble or evaluate “consumer reports” for employers on the “character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living” of prospective and current employees. In the course of furnishing … Continue Reading

San Francisco Issues Guidance for Employers and Contractors on Fair Chance Ordinance

By Katharine Parker and Daniel Saperstein on December 9, 2014 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures

San Francisco has posted FAQs explaining key provisions of the city’s so-called Fair Chance Ordinance (“Ordinance”), which took effect on August 13, 2014. The Ordinance “bans the box,” prohibiting most private employers and contractors in the city from asking job applicants about their criminal histories until after the first interview or following a conditional offer … Continue Reading

Voters in Four Jurisdictions Pass Sick Leave Ballot Initiatives

By Katharine Parker and Allison Martin on November 6, 2014 Posted in Leaves of Absences, Workplace Policies and Procedures

The national sick leave trend continues to gain momentum as voters in Massachusetts, Trenton and Montclair, New Jersey, and Oakland, California approved ballot initiatives requiring employers within each jurisdiction to provide sick leave to their employees. Similar laws already have taken effect in several jurisdictions across the country, including the States of Connecticut and California, … Continue Reading

San Francisco Releases “Ban the Box” Notice for Posting and Distribution

By Tony Oncidi, Kenneth Sulzer, Enzo Der Boghossian, Mark Theodore, Daniel Saperstein and Kelly Anne Targett on March 31, 2014 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures

San Francisco’s new Fair Chance Ordinance (“FCO”) “bans the box” and otherwise restricts private employers and City contractors from inquiring into or considering certain criminal offenses when making hiring and personnel decisions. One of the requirements of the FCO is for employers and contractors to post and distribute a written notice of rights, which San … Continue Reading

San Francisco “Bans the Box” for Private Employers and City Contractors

By Tony Oncidi, Kenneth Sulzer, Enzo Der Boghossian, Mark Theodore, Daniel Saperstein, Kelly Anne Targett and Jenna Hayes on February 24, 2014 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures

San Francisco recently became the ninth jurisdiction to enact a “ban the box” ordinance prohibiting private employers and city contractors and subcontractors from asking job applicants about their criminal histories until after the first interview. The new ordinance further restricts the types of criminal offenses about which employers and contractors may inquire or otherwise may … Continue Reading

Employee Reveals Identity Fraud On Form I-9

By David Grunblatt and Valarie McPherson on January 1, 2014 Posted in Immigration

What should an employer do when an employee updates her personal information and it reveals that false information as to legal immigration status was previously submitted? It may depend upon where she works. Since the passage of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) in 1986, employers have been “deputized” by the U.S. government … Continue Reading

Unemployment Laws Have New Teeth Under the Integrity Act: Are You Ready?

By Fredric Leffler, Susan D. Friedfel and Noa Baddish on December 3, 2013 Posted in Workplace Policies and Procedures

In 2011, President Obama signed the Unemployment Insurance Integrity Act (the “Act”), which largely shifts the responsibility for unemployment insurance integrity to employers. The Act required states to adopt legislation implementing the provisions of the Act by October 21, 2013 and, in many states, employers are just starting to see the impact of the new … Continue Reading

California Further Restricts Employer Use of Prior Convictions in Hiring Decisions

By Tony Oncidi, Kenneth Sulzer, Enzo Der Boghossian, Mark Theodore, Daniel Saperstein and Kelly Anne Targett on November 5, 2013 Posted in Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation, Hiring/Background Checks, Workplace Policies and Procedures

On October 10, 2013, Governor Jerry Brown approved S.B. 530 to further limit public and private employers from inquiring into or otherwise considering certain types of criminal convictions. This alert examines the new law, which takes effect January 1, 2014. Read the full text of this alert. … Continue Reading