Author: Nisha Verma

Can my employees really unionize without an election?

Following a landmark NLRB ruling last year, the answer is yes. For the last several decades, the process for union recognition of an employer’s workforce was largely unchanged. In 1974, the United States Supreme Court decided Linden Lumber Div., Summer & Co. v. NLRB, which provided the conditions under which employer had to recognize a union. Under the Court’s decision...

My Employees Have Seen Too Much. Can I Make Them An Offer They Can’t Refuse?

It is common knowledge that employers have a vested interest in the confidentiality and discretion of their employees, especially in emerging or sensitive industries. Employers invest time and money into training employees on proprietary systems, expose employees to valuable trade secrets, and make employees privy to internal disputes that could be damaging if made public. Accordingly, it is common practice...

What Are An Employer’s Rights Relating to Non-Employee Union Representatives On Their Premises?

Although employers are welcome to support their employees’ ability to meet with their union representatives, they are not required to grant nonemployee union representatives access to their property to do so. In NLRB v. Babcock & Wilcox Co., the Supreme Court held that while employers may not restrict the right of employees to discuss self-organization amongst themselves, no such obligation is owed...

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What Do Employers Need to Know Following the Passage of California’s New Law on Independent Contractor Misclassification?

On September 18, 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 5, which clarifies when workers should be considered “employees” under the California Labor Code and the California Unemployment Insurance Code, thereby entitling them to the protections afforded by those laws. The bill codifies the standard set out in last year’s California Supreme Court decision, Dynamex Operations West, Inc....

Which Provisions of California’s So-Called ‘Sanctuary State’ Legislation Affecting Employers are Currently in Effect?

Which Provisions of California’s So-Called ‘Sanctuary State’ Legislation Affecting Employers are Currently in Effect?

While portions of California’s Immigrant Worker Protection Act have been enjoined, employers remain subject to notice obligations. California passed a statute limiting the extent to which employers could cooperate with federal immigration officials. Litigation quickly ensued, and a recent decision enjoined enforcement of part of the law, while leaving other provisions unaffected. With the speed of the news cycle, employers...

In a Common Sense Decision, Appellate Court Clarifies Deadline for Employers to Issue Wage Statements under Labor Code Section 226

In a Common Sense Decision, Appellate Court Clarifies Deadline for Employers to Issue Wage Statements under Labor Code Section 226

It’s a situation any Human Resources professional might find themselves in – circumstances require you to effectuate a termination in short order and you have to scramble to calculate the employees’ correct final pay and prepare a paycheck. But what if the wage statement is not ready? Does the law require employers to provide a wage statement to a terminated...