By March 30, 2026, California employers are required to notify existing employees of the opportunity to identify an emergency contact and to allow employees to designate whether the contact should receive notification if the employee is arrested or detained at the jobsite, during work hours, or offsite while performing their job duties, and the employer has “actual knowledge of the arrest or detention of the employee.”
Some employers that rely on staffing arrangements, franchise relationships, or independent contractors may see meaningful shifts in federal labor policy because of a pair of federal agency rulemaking announcements released in February 2026.
Continue Reading Labor Policy Pendulum Swings Again: New Federal Rules Reshape Joint-Employer and Independent Contractor Standards
On Jan. 28, 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Avery v. TEKsystems, Inc. affirmed a district court order refusing to enforce an arbitration agreement rolled out during class litigation.
Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Warns California Employers Implementing Arbitration Agreements Mid-Litigation
As California employers head into another year of compliance planning, the Golden State legislature has not slowed down. From higher wage thresholds and expanded pay-equity rules to sweeping changes affecting
Continue Reading ’Tis the Season for California’s New Employment Laws: Employer Considerations for 2026
When employers offer new hires a sign-on bonus or existing employees a retention bonus, they typically structure the bonuses as an upfront payment subject to a conditional repayment obligation if
Continue Reading California Claws Back: New Limits on Stay-or-Pay Contracts Starting Jan. 1, 2026
On Sept. 29, 2025, California Gov. Newsom signed Senate Bill 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, into law.
Continue Reading California Expands Whistleblower Retaliation Protections for Employees in the AI Sector
On Sept. 12, 2025, the first California court issued an explicit “warning” to attorneys who use AI as part of their legal practice. In Sylvia Noland v. Land of the
Continue Reading California Court of Appeal Warns Against Attorney Misuse of Artificial Intelligence
Out in the cold, dark night rides the headless horseman, and he has a grievance. It is with his former employer who he thinks (with his head in hand) has treated his former colleagues poorly and violated the California Labor Code.
The California Supreme Court has issued its long-awaited opinion resolving the split in authority regarding whether Code of Civil Procedure sections 1281.97 and 1281.98 are preempted by the Federal Arbitration Act.
Continue Reading CA Supreme Court Says Not So Fast on Draconian Arbitration Invoice Payment Rules
California Labor Code section 1102.5 authorizes employees to recover attorneys’ fees if they bring a successful action. However, the employer may preclude an award of attorney’s fees to the employee by establishing the same-decision affirmative defense outlined in Labor Code section 1102.6.
Continue Reading Court of Appeals Decision May Offer Employers Relief for Attorneys’ Fees Under California Labor Code Section 1102.5