Mellissa Schafer was recently featured in SHRM, reviewing whether California employers should frontload or accrue paid sick leave. As of January 1, under the amended Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act, California employers are required to provide a minimum of five days (40 hours) of paid sick leave annually.

Mellissa Schafer – partner and co-leader of Hinshaw's national Labor and Employment Practice Group – recently discussed in a The Business Journals article the potential liability risks for employers where remote workers are injured at home. The article discussed a case where a JCPenney salesperson tripped over her dog and fractured her wrist while retrieving fabric samples at her home. After the salesperson sued, an Oregon appellate court ruled in her favor, saying the injury arose out of her employment for the retailer.

Human resources professionals and owners of business that employ people in California should be mindful of a raft of new state employment laws as 2021 unfolds. Several of these new laws and requirements stem from dynamics unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Others address topics aligned with the focus of California legislators.

Hinshaw partner Mellissa Schafer will present "Navigate Workforce Injury Claims Like a Pro" at the 2023 California Assisted Living Association (CALA) Fall Conference & Trade Show on November 8, 2023. The session will cover the best practices for handling a claim from initial injury to resolution, including common types of injuries and tips to avoid pitfalls. It will be an interactive experience with case scenarios and discussions on serious and willful injuries, 132(a) claims, and safe employee return-to-work practices. Partner David Alfini will also be in attendance at the conference.

Hinshaw partners David Alfini and Mellissa Schafer will speak at the California Assisted Living Association (CALA) 2022 Fall Conference and Trade Show on November 8, 2022. David's panel titled "Offering Culturally Appropriate Care & Services to LGBTQ Seniors" will delve into the history and characteristics of the LGBTQ elder population, and explore how adult care communities can maximize opportunities by ensuring they provide affirming and appropriate services to LGBTQ residents.

As an assisted living Executive Director (ED), you are charged with minimizing risk and preventing legal liability. But in practical terms, do you understand the legal framework that affects your day-to-day decisions?

Join us for Hinshaw's Labor & Employment Regional Law Update. Our practical and engaging virtual program will examine the most pressing issues affecting employers today.We will host the following regional sessions on Tuesday, July 26:West Coast:                    12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. PDTEast Coast/South:          1:00 p.m. - 2:00 EDT  |  12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. CDT

Join Hinshaw and the LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles on June 23, 2021, as we commemorate June Pride Month with a webinar featuring practical guidance on LGBTQ+ employment and workplace issues.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the twelfth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me twelve drummers drumming and SB 1105.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the eleventh day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me eleven pipers piping and AB 2123.

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on employers. On the tenth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me ten lords a-leaping and AB 610, SB 828, and other minimum wage updates.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) issued guidance on May 13, 2021, regarding the resumption of pre-pandemic activities for those who are fully vaccinated. Although helpful for individuals, the revised guidelines raise more unanswered questions for employers already preparing for or implementing return-to-work strategies. We review and analyze these questions, along with the guidance of the CDC and other regulatory agencies, below. 

A federal district court in New York recently struck down several key aspects of the Department of Labor's Final Rule implementing the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The FFCRA requires employers with 500 or fewer employees to offer paid sick leave and emergency family leave to those who are unable to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of New York had challenged several features of the DOL's Final Rule as exceeding the Department's authority.

After a week of significant work and bipartisan effort, Congress passed and the President signed into law an expansion of the FMLA along with separate paid sick leave benefits to American workers on March 18, 2020. Entitled the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act," the law becomes effective within 15 days of signing (April 1, 2020). It also contains a sunset provision.

Welcome to the Labor & Employment Chronicle, our quarterly newsletter that reviews the top stories from Hinshaw's Employment Law Observer blog.

Download or read the complete newsletter here: Employment Practices Newsletter

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