Insights

Employers and employees should be aware that several California cities have recently increased their minimum wage on July 1, 2025. The state’s minimum wage increase applies to all employers regardless of its size and the number of people it employs. The state’s minimum wage is the least amount you may pay an employee for each hour of work. However, a city many set its own minimum wage that is higher than the state’s. In those cases, the higher minimum wage applies if you employ or work in a city with the higher minimum wage.

Despite the fact that a referendum filed this past June has put this new proposed minimum wage increase on hold, employers need to be aware of what new potential rules they may have to follow. In addition, employees will need to be aware of what new rights and wages they may be entitled to. This is especially important because the potential increase in minimum wage for airport workers and large hotel workers will be significant. If the new minimum wage ordinances are implemented, workers in large hotels and airport workers in the City of Los Angeles will see their minimum wage increase significantly to $30/hour by 2028.

In a new guidance, the EEOC has shed some light on DEI-based policies and discrimination under the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC made clear that the employer is not allowed to treat its employees differently at all. Employees of all backgrounds should receive the same mentoring, training, and access to workplace networks. All employment actions taken by an employer must not be based in any way on an employee’s membership in a protected class.

Most employers have heard of “PAGA” or class-action lawsuits because of the news stories, but many employers are not aware of how ruinous a PAGA lawsuit can be. In fact, the penalties awarded in PAGA lawsuits are often massive and can be devastating to a business. It is important for employers to be aware of the rules and regulations that apply to them and to take precautionary measures to avoid liability in potential PAGA cases. An experienced attorney at Bailey Law can help you assess your company’s potential liability, help you minimize total liability, and perhaps (if it’s not too late) help you avoid such liability entirely.

It’s been a few months now since the Supreme Court has overturned the “Chevron Doctrine.” If you are a business owner, this may have interesting consequences for your business. Ambiguous federal statutes will now be met with higher judicial scrutiny. The courts now have the power to change the interpretation of any statute they deem ambiguous. Most interesting of all, the federal agencies will be forced to defend their interpretations of federal regulations.

The California Worker Freedom from Employer Intimidation Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2025, essentially seeks to give employees the freedom to make up their own minds on religion and politics without feeling pressured or intimidated by their employer. This new law makes it illegal for employers to take any adverse action against any employee if the employee chooses not to attend an employer’s meeting discussing politics or religion.

A new bill (Assembly Bill 977) has been signed into law by Governor Newsom and recently took effect on January 1, 2025. This new law increases the punishments for any person who assaults or batters a doctor, nurse, or other hospital worker in the emergency department from a maximum of 6 months to a maximum of one year imprisonment.

The city of Newport Beach in Orange County, California has made it mandatory for brick-and-mortar businesses to accept payments in cash when the customer is physically present at the business. This means that the businesses can no longer decide to go “cashless” and can no longer require payment from online services such as ApplePay, Venmo, Zelle, etc. In addition, these businesses are not allowed to charge a fee or place any other condition on its acceptance of cash. This city-wide requirement begins on March 31, 2025.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, California began paying significantly higher paid family leave benefits and higher disability benefits to California families. Over 18 million workers pay into the California State Disability Insurance program, meaning the workers automatically pay into these insurance plans through their payroll contributions.