Category Archives: Blog
Additional Harassment and Discrimination Protections for California Employees Signed into Law
On September 30, 2018, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill No. 1300 (SB 1300), which amends the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The law goes into effect January 1, 2019, and expands protections for employees with respect to harassment and/or discrimination claims. The highlights of the new bill are: Employer Responsibility… Read More »
California Extends Family Leave to Small Businesses
Starting on January 1, 2018, about 2.8 million small business workers in California will become eligible to take 12 weeks of parental leave to care for a newborn without losing their jobs. Two decades ago, the federal government passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”), which granted parental leave to workers employed by large businesses –… Read More »
EEOC Reaches $10M Settlement with Motor Vehicle Giant in Employment Discrimination and Harassment Case
Last month, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it had reached an agreement with Ford Motor Company to pay more than $10 million in an employment discrimination and harassment case. The lawsuit, brought by the federal agency, focused on alleged discriminatory and harassing behavior against black and female workers at… Read More »
Age Discrimination Case Brought by EEOC Results in $12M Settlement
Last month, Texas Roadhouse, a national restaurant chain, was ordered to pay $12 million to settle an employment discrimination case filed by the United States Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC alleged that the restaurant chain violated federal law by adapting a nationwide pattern of age discrimination when hiring hourly employees to work front-of-the-house,… Read More »
Study Finds 1 in 4 Victims of Workplace Discrimination Face Stress and Depression
A study by VitalSmarts, a leadership training firm, found that more than 1-in4 employees who experience discrimination at work suffer from feelings of depression, anxiety, frustration, and helplessness. The study’s researchers polled 500 victims of discrimination based on age, gender, race, national origin, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, and… Read More »
Federal Appeals Court Affirms Ruling in $2.1 Million Labor Law Case
Earlier this month, the federal appeals court in Colorado upheld an earlier ruling that had found an Oklahoma Mexican restaurant El Tequila and its owner in direct violation of labor laws, specifically the Fair Labor Standards Act. The case dealt specifically with the mishandling of employee wages and failure to keep accurate time records…. Read More »
Study Finds Los Angeles Sushi Restaurants Often Serve Mislabeled Fish
A new study from researchers at UCLA and Loyola Marymount University has found that approximately 47 percent of sushi that is served in restaurants across Los Angeles is mislabeled. The study was conducted by testing the DNA of fish at 26 local sushi restaurants. According to the study, the incidence and frequency of mislabeling… Read More »
HP Named in Age Discrimination Lawsuit Filed by Former Employees
Four former employees of Hewlett Packard have named the technology giant in a new age discrimination lawsuit, alleging that they were unfairly purged during a major restructuring, which involved tens of thousands of other layoffs. In the lawsuit, which was filed in California near the end of 2016, the former employees argue that HP… Read More »
California’s Fair Pay Act Expanded to Cover Race & Ethnicity and Prior Compensation History
It has been over one year since the 2015 California Fair Pay Act was passed, which is regarded as being the country’s toughest gender discrimination law.[1] The law applies to companies in all industries and of all sizes, and generally requires equal pay for substantially similar work between men and women. 2016 Sees Expansion… Read More »
Walmart Truck Drivers Win $55 Million in Back Pay
Walmart has been ordered by a California jury to pay about 850 of its current and former truck drivers a total of $55 million for violating California wage and hour laws. The jury’s award consisted of two main parts. First, the jury found that Walmart failed to separately compensate its truckers for the time… Read More »