Executive Summary: California has become the first state to introduce privacy protection for individuals’ personal data comparable to that provided under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA” or “the Act”), which takes effect January 1, 2020, is a sweeping digital privacy law that creates new protections and rights for consumers’ personal data. The CCPA will grant California consumers the following rights: (1) to know what personal information is being collected about them; (2) to know whether their personal information is sold or disclosed and to whom; (3) to say no to the sale of personal information; (4) to access their personal information; and (5) to equal service and price, even if they exercise their privacy rights (e.g., businesses may presumably offer tiered pricing for goods and services, such as offering higher prices for increased privacy); and in addition, to hold companies liable for data breaches.
Articles Discussing Labor And Employment Law In All Fifty Us States And Puerto Rico.
Reminder – NYC’s Temporary Schedule Change Law Becomes Effective on July 18, 2018
Enacted this past January, New York City’s “Temporary Schedule Change” law becomes effective on July 18, 2018.1 The law provides employees with the right to request two temporary schedule changes per calendar year for “personal events,” and employers must ensure that they are prepared to respond to their employees’ requests for changes in work schedules and understand what types of personal events qualify for leave.
Federal District Judge Puts On Hold Parts of AB 450 Which Prohibited Employers From Voluntarily Consenting To A Federal Immigration Agent’s Request To Enter Nonpublic Areas or For Voluntarily Providing Records
On July 4, 2018, Federal District Judge John A. Mendez granted a preliminarily injunction enjoining the State of California, Governor Brown, and Attorney General Becerra from enforcing parts of AB 450, the controversial new law that limited employer conduct when dealing with federal immigration enforcement. Specifically, the Judge stopped the enforcement of the California Government Code Sections 7285.1 and 7285.2 and California Labor Code Section 1019.2(a)&(b) as applied to private employers. The Judge upheld two other sanctuary state laws and part of AB 450. The Judge stated in his decision:
LIKE FOURTH OF JULY FIREWORKS, MINIMUM WAGES “EXPLODE” IN MANY CALIFORNIA LOCAL JURISDICTION
Whether you celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks, hot dogs, hamburgers, or reciting the Declaration of Independence (“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"), remember that many California city and local governments increased the minimum wage hourly pay requirements on July 1, 2018.
Hawaii Joins Salary History Ban Trend
On July 5, 2018, Governor David Y. Ige signed Senate Bill 2351 into law, adding Hawaii to the list of jurisdictions generally prohibiting employers from asking applicants about their prior compensation history.1 As long as employers have at least one employee in the state, they are covered.
New York Appellate Court Delivers Big Win to Gig Economy Business
On June 22, New York’s Third Department appellate court – which has jurisdiction over all state Unemployment Division appeals – issued a significant decision for “gig” economy companies with operations in New York. In Matter of Vega,1 the court found that a courier who performed delivery services arranged through Postmates’ web-based platform was as an independent contractor, and not an employee, for unemployment insurance purposes.
S.C. Employers Required to Use New Employment Discrimination Poster
The S.C. Human Affairs Commission (SCHAC) has released an updated employment discrimination poster that summarizes the state’s new Pregnancy Accommodations Act as well as other provisions of the S.C. Human Affairs Law.
The Regular Rate Riddle in the Massachusetts “Grand Bargain” Legislation
The new “grand bargain” legislation Governor Charlie Baker signed into law last week gradually phases out the requirement that Massachusetts retailers pay time-and-a-half for work on Sundays or certain holidays. However, this phase-out has a hidden complication: payment of less than time-and-a-half for work on Sunday or holidays is not credited towards overtime for work over 40 hours in a week, and therefore must be included in the regular rate. This means retailers may be required to account for extra premium pay for employees who work on Sundays or holidays.
Massachusetts Raises Minimum Wage, Mandates Paid Family and Medical Leave
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a sweeping bill that, over a period of five years, will: (1) raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour; (2) mandate paid family and medical leave for Massachusetts employees; and (3) phase out Sunday and holiday premium pay for retail employees. The law, signed on June 28, 2018, also will institute an annual sales tax holiday weekend. The first minimum wage increase, to $12.00 an hour, and first decrease in Sunday and holiday premium pay will go into effect on January 1, 2019.
Considerations for Employers in Massachusetts
Like New Jersey’s Diane B. Allen Equal Pay Act, the Massachusetts Equal Pay Act (MEPA) amendments went into effect on July 1, 2018. Regarded as one of the first comprehensive fair pay laws to be passed at the state level, MEPA has served as not only as a catalyst, but a model, for the patchwork of fair pay laws being enacted across the nation.
NYC May Start Enforcing its Law Requiring Fast Food Employers to Facilitate Payroll Deductions to Fund Contributions to Certain Not-For-Profit Organizations
Last June, New York City passed legislation that significantly reduced fast food and retail employers’ flexibility in crafting schedules to meet their legitimate business needs. This “Fair Workweek” legislative package also included a requirement that fast food employers set up a system allowing employees to request payroll deductions for voluntary contributions to authorized not-for-profit organizations. This “Deductions Law” required fast food employers to remit these contributions directly to the not-for-profit organizations.
Wisconsin Supreme Court Holds That State Disability Discrimination Law Requires Proof of Intent to Establish Liability
The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently overturned a longstanding line of cases that allowed disabled employees to prevail in discrimination cases without proving the employer intended to discriminate or was even aware that the employee was disabled. On June 26, 2018, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Wisconsin Bell, Inc. v. Labor and Industry Review Commission and Charles Carlson (Carlson).1 The case involves the Labor and Industry Review Commission’s (“LIRC”) expansive definition of what it means to discriminate against employees “because of” a disability under the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (“WFEA”).
Oklahoma Voters Pass Broad Medical Marijuana Law with Workplace Anti-Discrimination Provisions
Oklahoma became the 30th state to pass a medical marijuana law. Voters approved the measure on June 26, 2018.
Massachusetts Increases Minimum Wage, Eliminates Premium Pay For Sunday Work, And Enacts New Paid Leave Program
On June 28, 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker executed legislation that makes sweeping changes to Massachusetts law. As part of this so-called “Grand Bargain” legislation (the “Act”), Massachusetts will incrementally raise the minimum wage from $11 to $15 an hour and eliminate the need for most retail employees to receive premium pay for work performed on Sundays and holidays. The new law also creates one of the most generous paid family and medical leave programs in the country. Massachusetts now joins California, New York and Washington, D.C. as the only states to have both a $15 minimum wage and mandatory paid family and medical leave.
https://www.jacksonlewis.com/publication/gig-economy-delivery-couriers-are-not-employees-new-york-court-rules-reverses-unemployment-board
A delivery courier fired by app-based food delivery service Postmates Inc. is an independent contractor, not an employee entitled to unemployment insurance benefits, the Third Judicial Department of the New York Supreme Court has ruled. Matter of the Claim of Luis A. Vega, No. 525233 (June 21, 2018). The case is one of many disputes across the country over the status of workers in the gig economy.