The unemployment rate is one of the factors economists use to determine the health of the market. When more people are working it historically means that companies are prospering and the economy is getting stronger. Currently, the unemployment rate is down in Los Angeles and Orange County according to a…
While we can all hope that in 2017, in a state like California, we are beyond the days when workers have to worry about racial discrimination while working at a major corporation, if recent allegations are true, it seems there is still a long way to go until all workers…
Sexual harassment in the workplace is certainly nothing new. It has been going on for as long as there has been a workplace. However, there has been a recent slew of sexual harassment allegations against actors, comedians, journalists, and politicians in the news. One positive that has come out of…
Recently, California enacted legislation designed to remove some of the traditional barriers to employment. The new law bans most employers from asking about criminal history and past salary history in an initial application. Once an applicant has been offered a position, a criminal background check may be performed for certain…
In an effort to ensure enforcement of zero tolerance policies when it comes to sexual harassment in California state senate offices, lawmakers have announced steps will be taken to hire outside attorneys for any investigations that involve abuse of or by staff or legislators. As reported by The Los Angeles…
California, like most states, allows for at-will employment. That’s a term used in U.S. labor law that explains contractual relationships in which employees can be fired by an employer for any reason (i.e., without just cause) and without any warning. “Cause” is interpreted to mean a fair and honest cause…
Nobody enjoys being fired. Although California is not a right-to-work state, employers still have much freedom when it comes to termination of workers. Supporters of right to work laws opine they protect prospective employees who want a job but do not belong to a union. Although there was certainly a…
Everybody knows what it means to be fired from a job. However, sometimes an employer aiming to get rid of an employee won’t actually fire the person. Instead, they create or allow to persist a hostile work environment that would force any reasonable person to quit. The law calls this…
Recent projections by economists indicate that the job growth currently enjoyed in Southern California will slow dramatically in the coming years. This is problematic for employees, who are already at a disadvantage in negotiating the employment relationship. Employers, who traditionally hold a stronger bargaining position, are further strengthened in a…
Employee misclassification is a major violation of California labor law that happens far to often. The issue is whether a worker is an actual employee or an independent contractor. An employee works for an employer and is under the direct supervision of the employer, manager, or supervisor. Employees are told…