Counseling & Compliance Training - Page 66 of 89

Elimination of Vacation and Sick Day Accruals. Can that be Legal?

According to a November 17, 2014 article in LAobserved.com highlighted by the Los Angeles Business Journal, exempt non-union Los Angeles Times employees as of January 1, 2015 will no longer be able to accrue vacation days, sick days or floating holidays. Instead, a new Discretionary Time-Off policy will reportedly allow those employees time off, “subject to their professional judgment and to the performance expectations of their supervisor that apply to their job.” In theory, says the article, an employee can take more time off than under an accrual system, but Times’ employees are wary.

From some who caught this story, we have been asked if this kind of policy is legal. Well, in short, it can be.

Private employers generally do not have to provide paid vacation, sick or holidays under California Law. Those benefits are so customary that many think they must be required. An employer can lawfully end accruals for the future; but, it must allow use or pay out of vacation (or PTO) that has already been accrued. This is because California law treats accrued vacation as a form of wages that cannot be taken away once earned. By contrast, California law has not treated sick day accrual as wages and sick day accrual can be lost if not used. Collective bargaining agreements often lay out different rules for union employees.

The Times policy reportedly ends future vacation accruals and allows exempt employees time off (with their regular pay continuing) if their supervisors approve the time off. Employers go with a no accrual policy to save costs, particularly at termination of employment when unused vacation accruals must be paid in cash to the exiting employee. This strategy works legally and it can eventually end vacation accrual financial liability; but, it can be a morale problem to a workforce who may be wary that management may only infrequently approve time off. Management does, however, have an incentive to handle requests fairly if it wants to attract and retain great employees.

A no accrual policy needs to be integrated with state and local laws in California which require minimum paid sick day accruals. Effective July 1, 2015, for example, AB 1522 requires that most employee be provided at least three paid sick leave days. Cities such as San Francisco already have similar laws.

Before changing to a no accrual policy, employers should, with the help of counsel, plan a policy that is both compliant with the California wage and hour laws and takes into account the impact it may have on the existing workforce and on recruiting.

California Enacts AB 1897 Which Means Greater Liability For Employers Who Use Labor Contractors

On September 28, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown announced the signing of Assembly Bill 1897, which amends California Labor Code section 2810 by creating a new Labor Code section 2810.3.

The new law targets businesses that obtain or are provided “workers to perform labor within its usual course of business from a labor contractor.” The statute’s definition of “labor contractor” excludes bona fide nonprofits, bona fide labor organizations, apprenticeship programs, hiring halls operated pursuant to a collective bargaining agreement, and motion picture payroll services companies.

Once AB 1897 becomes effective, private employers will be unable to deny liability for labor contractor’s failure to pay all required wages[1] or to secure valid workers’ compensation coverage for contract workers. Employers using the labor services will now “share with the labor contractor all civil legal responsibility and civil liability for all workers supplied” to the company. This liability is imposed without consideration for whether the business had knowledge about the purported violations and irrespective of whether the client employer and labor contractor are joint employers. The statute expressly provides that it does not limit any other theories of liability or requirements established by other statutes or common law.

As a result, employers should be especially cautious in selecting a staffing agency. Companies intending to use labor contractors should evaluate the agency before partnering with it to determine whether the contractor complies with all relevant labor laws. Contracts for labor services should now be entered in with an eye towards limiting the risk of retaining non-compliant contractors.

Aside from performing careful due diligence prior to retaining labor services, there are some practical steps a business can take to minimize its exposure under the new law. While the statute provides that any waiver is contrary to public policy and is unenforceable, a company may contract with a staffing agency for indemnification for the agency’s failure to pay required wages or secure valid workers’ compensation coverage. Thus, it will be important for employers to revise labor service contracts to protect their interests against failures of staffing agencies to comply with the Labor Code.

Current law already prohibits employers from entering into a contract for labor or services with a construction, farm labor, garment, janitorial, security guard, or warehouse contractor, if the employer knows or should know that the agreement does not include sufficient funds. However, the new law is designed to extend liability to employers in nearly all industries for a labor contractor’s failure to pay wages or provide adequate workers compensation. The statute exempts the following from coverage:

A business with fewer than 25 workers (which includes “those hired directly by the client employer and those obtained from, or provided by, any labor contractor”);
A business with five or fewer workers supplied by a labor contractor or labor contractors at any given time; and
The state or any political subdivision of the state, including any city, county, city and county, or special district.[2]

AB 1897 goes into effect on January 1, 2015.

If you have any questions concerning this alert, please contact one of the authors listed above or any other member of Drinker Biddle’s Labor &Employment Group.

[1] The statute provides that the term “wages” shall have the same meaning provided by Section 200 and “and all sums payable to an employee or the state based upon any failure to pay wages, as provided by law.” Labor Code section 200 in turn defines “wages” as including “all amounts for labor performed by employees of every description, whether the amount is fixed or ascertained by the standard of time, task, piece, commission basis, or other method of calculation.

[2] AB 1897 was revised significantly from when it was originally proposed. All these exemptions were added through revisions. Also, the enacted version removed language that would have created shared liability for “[t]he failure to report and pay all required employer contributions, worker contributions, and personal income tax withholdings as required by the Unemployment Insurance Code.”

“BAN-THE-BOX” Signed Into Law in New Jersey

On August 11, 2014, New Jersey Governor Chris Cristie signed into law “The Opportunity to Compete Act”, commonly referred to as New Jersey’s “ban-the-box” law, which prohibits employers from asking about the applicant’s criminal history prior to the completion of the first interview. New Jersey is the 6th state, in a growing trend, to pass some form of the “ban-the box” law which is intended to remove obstacles to employment for people with criminal records. New Jersey will join Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island, all of which have similar laws covering private employers.

New Jersey’s law will become effective on March 1, 2015 and covers both public and private employers operating in New Jersey who employ 15 or more employees. After the first interview, New Jersey employers are free to inquire into the applicant’s criminal background and may ultimately refuse to hire the applicant based on his or her background, so long as the refusal is not based on expunged of pardoned records. In addition to the restrictions on inquiries pre-first interview, the law prohibits employers from publishing job postings or ads stating that it automatically excludes applicants with arrest or conviction records.

The Usual Exemptions

Not unlike other laws, New Jersey’s law provides for several exceptions. The law does not apply to those positions that require criminal background checks by law or regulation, including positions in law enforcement, corrections, the judiciary, homeland security, and emergency management. Also excluded are positions where certain convictions would, by law, either automatically disqualify the applicant or restrict the employer from engaging in certain business activities based on its employees’ criminal records.

Penalties and Preemption of Local Ordinances

A positive for employers is that the law will not spur more employment litigation, because it does not create a private right of action for alleged violations. However, employers who violate the law will be met with increasing fines –$1,000 for the first violation, $5,000 for second violations, and $10,000 for each subsequent violation.

Finally, the law will preempt existing or future local laws – including Newark’s local “ban-the-box” law – that regulate private employers’ use of criminal background checks.

Next Steps for New Jersey Employers

Employers operating in New Jersey should begin working with their Labor & Employment counsel now to review their employment applications, job postings, policies, and employee handbooks to ensure compliance prior to March 1, 2015. Employers should also ensure that training is provided to those individuals involved in hiring and interviewing of potential job applicants. Additionally, employers who operate in jurisdictions within and outside of New Jersey should continue to closely monitor the “ban-the-box” legislations in other jurisdictions as these laws remain a growing trend.

Finally, employers should keep in mind that under guidance issued by the EEOC and a number of state laws, an employer may be required to demonstrate the relevance of a given conviction as a basis for excluding an applicant from employment.

Whistleblower and Retaliation Claims Compliance, Risk and Prevention

Whistleblower and Retaliation claims continue to rise and general counsel of companies large and small are increasingly budgeting for the prevention and defense of these claims. The multitude of regulations governing industries including pharma, life sciences healthcare, insurance and financial services, present employees with numerous opportunities, sometimes even incentives, to threaten and file whistleblower and retaliation claims. Launch the brief video below to hear how Labor and Employment Group partners Tom Barton and Lynne Anderson are helping employers achieve a culture of compliance to minimize risk, as well as the Labor & Employment group’s proven track record of success in helping employers handle and defend against these claims.

Hot Topics in Federal Agency Enforcement

Join our friends on the California HR team on Wednesday, July 30, from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Pacific (1:00 p.m. Eastern), as they provide a complimentary one-hour webinar on current hot topics that may impact employers not just in California, but also nationwide, as they deal with Federal agency enforcement plans.

Presented by:
Kate S. Gold, Partner, Labor & Employment
Bruce L. Ashton, Partner, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Philippe A. Lebel, Associate, Labor & Employment
Ryan C. Tzeng, Associate, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Date: Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Time: 10:00 a.m. Pacific (1:00 p.m. Eastern)
Location: Webinar (Dial-in details and Outlook calendar link will be sent with registration confirmation)

Topics to be discussed during the one hour webinar will include:

The EEOC’s Strategic Enforcement Plan and its impact on employment separation agreements and releases
What the DOL and IRS are looking for when they audit your retirement plan… and what you should do about it
The Department of Labor’s modernization of the FLSA overtime exemptions
Strategies for surviving a DOL investigation or IRS audit of your retirement plan
The National Labor Relations Board’s focus on employee rights to engage in concerted activity, and the impact on employer confidentiality agreements, social media policies, and arbitration agreements

There will be an opportunity at the end of the program to ask questions.

*CLE Information: This program has been approved by the California State CLE Board for 1.0 substantive credit hour.

Questions? Please contact Liz Jutila at Liz.Jutila@dbr.com

What Are Your Company’s Wage & Hour Risks?

Wage & Hour class actions are being filed at a pace that dwarfs almost all other types of litigation. With a myriad of federal and state laws and regulation, employers not only need to take steps to minimize the risk of a suit, but also must be prepared to defend themselves. Launch the brief video below to hear how Labor and Employment Group partners Cheryl Orr and Stephanie Gournis are helping employers involved in employment class actions, as well as helping companies to minimize the risk of litigation.