Photo of Employment Law Observer Mellissa A. Schafer
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mschafer@hinshawlaw.com
310-909-8000
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Mellissa Schafer represents her clients in labor and employment matters in addition to workplace injury litigation. She defends employers facing a …

Showing 95 posts by Mellissa A. Schafer.

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 12 "New Requirement for Workplace Violence Prevention Plan"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the twelfth and final day of our holiday series, my labor and employment attorney gave to me twelve drummers drumming and SB 553. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 11 "Food Handler Card Cost Shifts to Employer"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the eleventh day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me eleven pipers piping and SB 476. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 10 "Wage Theft Updates for 2024"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the tenth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me ten lords a-leaping and AB 636 and AB 594. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 9 "Expansion of Bases for Restraining Orders in the Workplace"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the ninth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me nine ladies dancing and SB 428. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 8 "Expansion of COVID-19 Layoff Recall Rights"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the eighth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me eight maids-a-milking and SB 723.

Layoffs and reductions in force were prevalent during the pandemic. Job layoffs severely impacted the hospitality and building services industries during the pandemic. Based on the number of layoffs and the primary industries affected, California passed SB 93 in 2021. This bill created California Labor Code Section 2810.8. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 7 "No Automatic Stay Any Further While Pushing for Arbitration"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the seventh day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me seven swans-a-swimming, and SB 365. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 6 "Employers Beware - Rebuttal Presumption Potentially Available for Retaliation Claims"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the sixth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me six geese-a-laying and SB 497. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 5 "Off Duty Marijuana Use by Employees is Basically Off Limits for Employers"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the fifth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me five golden rings and SB 700. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 4 "California and Non-Competes - It's a No-Go"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 days of the holidays" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the fourth day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me four calling birds, SB 699, and AB 1076. More ›

The 12 Days of California Labor and Employment Series – Day 3 "Healthcare Workers and a New Minimum Wage Structure"

In the spirit of the season, we are using our annual "12 Days of California Labor and Employment" blog series to address new California laws and their impact on California employers. On the third day of the holidays, my labor and employment attorney gave to me three french hens and SB 525.

While the minimum wage may differ depending on the city in which you live, the current minimum wage is generally $15/hour. When the pandemic was ongoing, the importance of healthcare workers soared, and the realization of how much healthcare workers were needed and the shortage of healthcare workers hit an all-time high.  

To no surprise, specific cities attempted to increase healthcare workers' wages to assist during the pandemic. While some of those laws passed, others did not. This paved the way for SB 525, which creates a different minimum wage schedule, specifically a higher minimum wage schedule, for various categories of covered healthcare employees. More ›