January 12, 2021
This past year saw the enactment of a variety of new employment laws in California, including new disclosure requirements for employers and changes to the independent contractor landscape. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has touched nearly every sector of society, in nearly every corner of the world, and employment law in California is certainly no exception. The pandemic has ushered in a new legal landscape marked by heightened requirements for employers stretching from 2020 into 2023.
Below, we outline four new laws that require attention from California employers in the new year: (1) the new requirements for California employers in reporting wage and hour data; (2) the continuing evolution of the worker classification standard and the recent passage of Proposition 22; (3) the new COVID-19 notice requirements that will require employers to notify employees of possible exposure; and (4) the new Workers’ Compensation Disputable Presumption under SB 1159. We a
January 07, 2021 10:40 PMLegal
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LOS ANGELES After the incoming Joe Biden administration announced that it would block a new “gig worker” rule proposed by the Donald Trump administration, the United States Labor Department has pushed ahead to get that rule published. The new rule relaxes requirements for defining workers are “independent contractors,” giving greater latitude to employers to hire workers on a “gig” basis.
Incoming administrations may, and often do, block proposed federal rules that have not yet been published in the Federal Register. When Biden spokesperson Jen Psaki announced earlier this week the new administration’s plan to block the “gig worker” rule, it had not been published. But according to a report by Land Line, a news site covering the trucking industry which relies on truckers who are largely independent contractors the rule was published in the Thursday, January 7, edition of the Register.
For starters, a shift in power in Washington will likely alter the regulatory and legislative landscapes. Congress is due to pass a highway bill, with the FAST Act’s expiration last month. DOT and FMCSA will see new leaders. Major court cases involving laws that restrict owner-operators in California and potentially other states will take their next steps. Also, 2020 s freight and rates rally will find fresh hurdles.
Here’s what to watch for in the year ahead:
A proposed rule to mandate speed limiters, which was halted in 2017 after President Trump took office, could be revived under the Biden Administration.