Human Resources / Health and Safety

“100% Healed” Policies Violate Duty to Accommodate

The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) recently obtained a settlement that highlights a mistake that employers often make: requiring employees to be 100-percent...

CalChamber, U.S. Chamber Urge Appeals Court to Review Wage Statement Questions

The California Chamber of Commerce has joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in urging the Fourth Appellate District Court to review a case involving...

33 Member Companies Recognized on Bay Area’s Healthiest Employers List

Thirty-three California Chamber of Commerce member companies have been recognized as some of the healthiest employers to work for in the San Francisco Bay...

CalChamber in Court: Protecting Workers’ Comp Independent Medical Review

Oral arguments have been set in a workers’ compensation case that deals with the constitutionality of the independent medical reviews (IMR) that were part...

CalChamber-Supported Expert Appointed to Cal/OSHA Standards Board

With the support of the business community and the California Chamber of Commerce, Chris Laszcz-Davis was appointed yesterday to the California Occupational Safety and...

Workers’ Comp Case Attacks Basic Premise of System, Opens Door to Broader Liability

The California Chamber of Commerce recently filed a friend-of-the-court brief in a California Supreme Court case that will determine whether doctors who review workers’...

IRS to Payroll and HR: Beware of W-2 Scams

Recently the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued an alert to payroll and human resources professionals to warn them about an email scam. The IRS issued...

More Timekeeping Guidance from Court on Standards for Rounding Entries

An appellate court decision that further clarifies the ability of California employers to round employee timecard entries has been published at the request of...

U.S. Supreme Court to Decide If Class Action Waivers in Arbitration Agreements Are Lawful

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to resolve a split among the federal courts regarding whether class action waivers in arbitration agreements are lawful...

Job Killer Bill Hampers Ability to Manage Workforce Effectively

Small businesses and job seekers will be hurt by an attempt to base a statewide law on a couple of local ordinances. AB 5...
CalChamber Advocacy

Job Killer Mandates New Leave of Absence

A more expansive version of a job killer bill vetoed last year has been reintroduced. The California Chamber of Commerce has identified SB 63...

EEOC Provides Guidance on Mental Health Conditions and Work

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced the publication of a resource document, “Depression, PTSD, & Other Mental Health Conditions in the...

On-Call Rest Periods Are Not Allowed, California Supreme Court Rules

In a disappointing decision for California businesses, the California Supreme Court ruled recently that on-call rest periods are not permissible. This decision will require...
Federal Update

Court Blocks Federal Overtime Rule

Last week, a federal court in Texas issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) from enforcing the new federal...

New Workers’ Comp Law Changes Definitions of Excluded Employees; May Affect Existing Policies

Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones has notified workers’ compensation insurers of upcoming changes to the definition of “employee” and to who is an excluded employee....

California Legalizes Marijuana Use, But Employers Can Still Keep Workplaces Drug Free

On Tuesday, California joined several other states in legalizing recreational use of marijuana by adults. Proposition 64, also known as the Adult Use of...

Newspapers Statewide Oppose Proposition 61

As the General Election quickly approaches, newspapers statewide have editorialized against California Chamber of Commerce-opposed Proposition 61. Proposition 61 prohibits the state from buying any...

Numerous California Newspapers Endorse Proposition 52

With just a week until the General Election, newspapers up and down the state have published editorials urging a “yes” vote on California Chamber...

CalChamber Participates in Equal Pay Task Force Meeting at Capitol

The California Pay Equity Task Force, created by the California Commission on the Status of Women and Girls, convened its third meeting this week...
Heat Illness Image

Governor Signs Bill Directing Development of Indoor Heat Illness Standard

Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. has signed a bill directing Cal/OSHA to adopt a regulation to prevent heat illness for indoor workers. SB 1167 (Mendoza;...