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Tips For Your New Business

Published on 2012-05-14 13:18:12

It is May, 2012, and even though the politicians have declared that the economic disaster is over, America’s economy is still struggling.  Unemployment rates have been above 8% for much of the last three years, and GDP growth averaged a miserable 2.2% last year.  While our elected officials fight over which policies will get the [...] > read more

Brinker decision finally arrives!

Published on 2012-04-16 12:45:18

New Standard for Meal/Rest Periods: On April 12, 2012, the California Supreme Court issued its ruling on Brinker Restaurant Corp. v. The Superior Court of San Diego County.  This case ultimately stemmed from a class action suit in which the plaintiff class consisted of current or former cooks, stewards, buspersons, waiting staff, and host staff who [...] > read more

OSHA Compliance and Inspections

Published on 2011-10-31 12:17:49

This Fox Business article provides a good summary on handling OSHA inspections and the factors to consider before hand. http://smallbusiness.foxbusiness.com/legal-hr/2011/10/27/preparing-for-osha-inspection/ OSHA Compliance and Inspections > read more

Ten Legal Pitfalls Startups Should Avoid

Published on 2011-07-12 12:25:11

This is a good summary article for any new business owner, or those thinking of starting a business. It lays out the top 10 legal pitfalls you should strive to avoid when starting a new venture.  It was written by Mark Britton and posted on Fox’ Small Business Center web page this morning: The etymology of [...] > read more

Meal Period Cases Continue to Mount

Published on 2011-01-19 17:49:44

Recently, a California Court of Appeal held that compliance with Labor Code Section 512 Meal Period provisions requires employers to merely “provide” a meal period, and not “ensure” that a meal period was actually taken.  The court cited the statutory language of Labor Code Section 512 and IWC Wage Order 5-2001 at issue in this [...] > read more

How to Run a Productive Work Meeting (Guest Post)

Published on 2010-10-12 14:09:31

Here is a guest post by Joseph Gustav, a blogger for Pounding the Pavement and a writer on High School Diploma at Home for Guide to Career Education. Joseph provides some good points to ponder when convening a meeting at your workplace: Meetings are an evil necessity. Workers must take time from their busy days for [...] > read more

Harassment Prevention Training Should Be Considered By All Employers

Published on 2010-08-24 11:30:15

Recently, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) announced that Trinity Products, Inc (“Trinity”), a billboards and signposts manufacturer, agreed to pay $55,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation suit filed by the EEOC. The EEOC alleged that a “high level manager harassed his assistant with offensive language and gestures and requests for sexual [...] > read more

California Court Decision Restricts Union Activity on Private Property

Published on 2010-08-10 11:30:47

A recent decision by the California Court of Appeal has basically banned unions from picketing on business property within California. In its opinion the court invalidated two California laws designed to protect union demonstrations on business property.  The reviewing court ordered the trial court to grant an injunction restraining the United Food and Commercial Workers [...] > read more

Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) Update

Published on 2010-08-09 16:37:33

The key objectives of the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) are to make union organizing easier, restrict the ability to campaign against unions, and punish employers for expressing their opinions that unionization is not in their companies’ best interests. EFCA has been sitting dormant in Congress, but it has not been [...] > read more

Government says GDP slows, recession was deeper than previously thought.

Published on 2010-07-30 10:19:03

The Wall Street Journal writes that the U.S. economy slowed in the second quarter of this year and the government said the recession was deeper than earlier believed, adding to concerns over the recovery’s strength.  The Commerce Department Friday said U.S. gross domestic product, or the value of all goods and services produced, rose at [...] > read more

Working off the clock can result in large liabilities for Employer

Published on 2010-07-14 12:31:06

In Otsuka v. Polo Ralph Lauren Corp., a federal district court in Northern California recently approved a $4 million class action settlement for unpaid wages. Plaintiffs alleged that, as part of the retailer’s loss prevention program, they were required to submit to inspections of their personal bags and belongings before exiting [...] > read more

DOL issues new clarification of the definition of “son or daughter” under Section 101(12) of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

Published on 2010-07-07 16:29:46

The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) has published an Administrator’s Interpretation to address the question of whether an employee is entitled to leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) to care for a child they are not biologically related to.  The FMLA provides that an eligible employee can take up to [...] > read more