Photo of Ellen M. Bandel

Ellen M. Bandel is a member of the Labor and Employment practice, advising unionized and union-free employers on all aspects of labor and employment law. Specifically, Ellen counsels employers on a range of workplace issues including recruitment; development of handbooks and employment policies; employee performance and discipline; administering paid and unpaid time off policies and leaves of absence; compliance with wage and hour and disability accommodation laws; proper handling of employee complaints; workplace audits and investigations; workforce reductions; and mitigating risk associated with employee terminations. Ellen has wide-ranging experience advising employers on compliance with employment legislation “trending” at the state and local level, including paid sick leave laws, legalization of medical and recreational marijuana, pre-employment restrictions relating to use of criminal history or prior salary information, predictable work schedule requirements, and paid medical leaves.

Ellen also represents clients in federal, state, and local administrative proceedings. Additionally, she assists government contractors subject to requirements of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs’ (OFCCP) with the design and implementation of affirmative action programs and navigating the compliance review process.

The city of Los Angeles’s recently passed Fair Workweek Ordinance (the Ordinance) takes effect April 1, 2023. The ordinance aims to ensure Los Angeles retail employees have more predictable work

Continue Reading Los Angeles Retail Employers: New Fair Workweek Obligations Take Effect April 1. Are They Fair?

On March 19, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 95 into law, once again requiring employers to provide California employees with paid sick leave in connection with COVID-19. Under SB
Continue Reading Statewide COVID-19 Paid Sick Leave Returns to California

With California employers now grappling with remote workforces, all the time and effort spent ensuring compliance with sick leave legislation – particularly at the local level – should be re-visited.
Continue Reading Red Sky at Morning: Employers Take Warning; Today’s Forecast: Changing State and Local Sick Leave Mandates in California

On Friday, August 28, 2020, Governor Newsom unveiled the state’s new tiered system for identifying and reducing COVID-19 infection risks in each county. This new “blueprint” is aimed at reducing instances of COVID-19 by imposing revised criteria for both easing and tightening restrictions on the activities of California residents and businesses.

Under the new system, which goes into effect on Monday, August 31st and replaces the “County Monitoring List” approach, each county is assigned to one of four tiers – Minimal, Moderate, Substantial, or Widespread. These tiers are assigned based on the percentage of new daily cases and the percentages of positive tests.
Continue Reading California Revamps its Reopening Criteria for Businesses and Activities