Advocacy Alerts

The California Chamber of Commerce continues to oppose AB 1776 (Aguiar-Curry; D-Winters), which would drastically reshape California antitrust law, despite changes made to the bill before last week’s Senate Appropriations Committee vote.

One of our employees has requested time off in two weeks to enroll his grandson in school. Is this employee eligible for any type of leave?

A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that increases business costs and establishes a one-size-fits-all workplace violence regulation on all California employers was sent to the Suspense File by the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week pending a review of the bill’s fiscal impacts.

Two CalChamber executive team members earned spots on an annual list honoring the most influential figures in California politics and public policy.

An applicant recently moved here from another country and has applied for a work permit, but she has not yet received an employment authorization document from the government. She says that she was told she could work as an independent contractor, so she set up a business, with a license, insurance and a tax ID number. Are we able to hire her as an independent contractor?

Former CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg’s lasting impact on California policies and politics was acknowledged this week when he was named in memoriam to the Capitol Weekly Top 100 Hall of Fame.

Two new estimates — including one from the California Department of Finance — affirm what experts have been saying for months: legislation to rewrite the state’s robust antitrust law would wreak havoc on the Golden State’s economy and the tax dollars needed to fund vital government programs.

Since 2004, the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) has allowed California employees to sue employers for Labor Code violations such as unpaid overtime, missed meal and rest breaks, and noncompliant wage statements — and not just on the employee’s own behalf, but on behalf of other aggrieved employees as well.

The California Chamber of Commerce, along with a large and diverse coalition representing key parts of the state’s economy, is urging the state Senate Appropriations Committee to reject one of the year’s most costly bills that seeks to radically reshape antitrust law in the Golden State.

We have nine employees in one office area. One employee complained that three of their coworkers speak to each other in another language. The employee is uncomfortable and feels excluded. Can we require everyone in this work group to speak only English?

A new round of funding is now available through California’s Paid Family Leave (PFL) Grant Program to help small businesses offset costs that can result from an employee taking paid family leave.