Articles Tagged with labor law in california

Hiring employees can be exciting for a business owner though it comes with many legal responsibilities and requirements. You must report your new hires to the state, set up a payroll system, comply with tax and immigration laws, and more. With so many requirements, the last thing you may want to do is anything that is not expressly required by law.

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One optional step that can be extremely important, however, is developing and regularly updating an employee handbook. Following are some reasons that a carefully drafted employee handbook can help you to avoid legal conflicts with employees.

Avoid employee miscommunication

Contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers have many tools at their disposal to protect their rights under construction contracts. While the mechanic’s lien is one of the most common ways a contractor or supplier can ensure full payment for their services, this type of legal tool can only be used for private construction projects against the private property owners. For this reason, many people who enter into government contracts may wonder what their options may be under the law to make sure they are properly compensated for their work. One of the most important tools under such circumstances is the payment bond.

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What is a payment bond?

Payment bonds are common in many large-scale private construction projects and are further required in by California law for the following:

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed an historic law into effect prohibiting employment bias on the grounds of age: The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). This act gives certain labor protections to workers over age 40. But do you know how this law affects employment at your company? Here is an overview of the ADEA and some key information to know.

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What is the Age Discrimination in Employment Act?

The ADEA specifies that any time an employer makes a decision about personnel, whether hiring, determining pay, firing, or considering position changes, it cannot factor age into the final decision.  Decision makers are not allowed to establish preferred ages in any step of the hiring process.  It’s important to note asking for a candidate’s birth date on an application however, is not illegal.

Meal and rest breaks are mandated by the state and allow employees to re-energize and reset during their workday. Surprisingly, providing a lunch break is not a federal requirement, however allowing employees to take breaks can reduce safety-related incidents in many industries. Failing to give an employee adequate breaks can result in steep fines from the state.

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California Law: Meal and Rest Breaks

Employees in California are legally owed meal and rest breaks depending on the amount of time worked. Here are the standard requirements for meal and rest breaks under California law. Continue reading ›