Yearly Archives: 2019

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2019

California workers should be aware of wage theft

Employers have gotten negative attention in recent years for what some call a crime that’s never discussed. It’s often referred to as wage theft, and employees have lost a combined $8 billion in yearly income from employers cheating their employees out of pay for hours worked. Wage…

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Study: California worst in the nation in pedestrian safety

While California has easily the biggest economy among the 50 states, we lag to one degree or another in some other important areas such as education, health care and crime. Unfortunately, we are at the very bottom of a critical component of public safety: pedestrian accidents.…

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Important New Laws Involving Employee Rights in California

Governor Gavin Newsom signed dozens of bills at the close of the 2019 legislative session. This includes 15 that impact the rights of employees. Below is a brief overview of the key changes that are noteworthy for California workers beginning in 2020. AB 9 —…

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Will I have a job still after my surgery?

Receiving a serious medical diagnosis that requires surgery can be stressful. There are countless things to worry about, but you shouldn’t have to worry about losing your job while you are unable to work. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) lets you take unpaid leave…

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Employees facing sexual harassment should know their rights

Employees have certain rights when they’re at work, which includes the right to be safe from discrimination and harassment. In light of the #MeToo movement, numerous employees from a variety of industries have come forward, telling horror stories of being sexually mistreated by superiors or…

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Insurers and new laws deal with California dogs bites

Dogs bite Californians more than residents of any other state, judging from the most recent year of statistics available from the insurance company State Farm. The Golden State doesn’t even have stiff competition. This year, as in several years in the recent past, the state…

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4 pregnancy-related protections available under Title VII

No matter your personal situation, facing a pregnancy can be a time of great physical and emotional turmoil. Even the most well-planned pregnancy can be subjected to multiple unexpected factors and challenging decisions. When your ability to make a living is negatively impacted, however, it…

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OSHA enforces whistleblower protection laws

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) governs nearly two-dozen whistleblower protection laws in California and elsewhere. Protections include rules for workplace safety in manufacturing, energy distribution or generation, construction and many other worksites. The agency also oversees laws that regulate illegal activities and hazards…

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EEOC confirms employers can’t exclude people through targeted ads

In 2017, the New York Times and the independent newsroom ProPublica revealed that some companies were using Facebook’s ad targeting capacity to exclude older workers from seeing job ads they had placed. Then, the reporters discovered that others had been doing the same thing to…

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CA Supreme Court sees arbitration contract as unfairly signed

Late this summer, the California Supreme Court considered an agreement that limited an employee’s options for disputing his pay. The agreement forced the employee into mandatory arbitration more like a complex and expensive lawsuit than the cheaper, streamlined hearings described in California statutes. The Court…

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Safe winter driving in California

While commuting in San Diego and across various roads in Southern California, you might believe that winter driving is a challenge that exists across the planet from you. In fact, you are only a short drive from some of California’s mountainous winter wonderlands. No matter…

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Fatigue and distraction at sea top NTSB Most Wanted

Every two years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) releases a Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements. The list publicizes transportation dangers that could be reduced if only employers and workers focused their efforts on them. The 2019–2020 edition names two areas that may…

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