Relying on the parties’ written employment agreement and compensation plans, a California federal district court held that an at-will employee who was laid off due to COVID-19 could not recover commissions that were not fully earned prior to his termination. Peak v. TigerGraph, Case no. 21-cv-02603 (Sept. 7, 2021).
Background
The employee, a sales
On October 5, 2021, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 654 (AB 654), which expands the types of employers who are exempt from COVID-19 outbreak reporting requirements. Specifically, under AB 654, employers such as community clinics, adult day health centers, community care facilities, and child daycare facilities are exempt from COVID-19 outbreak reporting required under Assembly
Without any fanfare, Cal/OSHA updated its FAQs for the emergency temporary standards (ETS) on September 21, 2021, to incorporate new guidance from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
Importantly, the CDPH has relaxed its quarantine recommendations for unvaccinated, asymptomatic workers. The ETS, which governs most workplaces in California, requires a 10-day quarantine period in
The temporary COVID-19 Massachusetts emergency paid sick leave (MA EPSL) has been extended through April 1, 2022.
In spring 2021, Massachusetts established a statewide mandate for employers to temporarily provide employees up to 40 hours of MA EPSL when they are unable to work due to specific qualifying reasons related to the pandemic. The law
A flurry of employment law-related bills are headed to Governor Newsom for consideration, however, no bills are being presented related to statewide supplemental paid sick leave. In March 2021, California resurrected and expanded statewide COVID-19 supplemental paid sick leave. The legislation sunsets on September 30, 2021, and there is no legislation pending to extend
For now, California employers are beholden to state and local COVID-19 requirements as well as Cal/OSHA’s infamous COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). The ETS are set to expire on January 14, 2022. However, Cal/OSHA has recently released a draft of a semi-permanent standard for COVID-19.
The current proposal would create a COVID-19 standard that
After the announcement of President Biden’s COVID-19 Action Plan, employers across the country, including California started to consider how to implement vaccination and testing requirements, even ahead of clear guidance from the federal government.
California already has its own Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) which were amended in June by Cal/OSHA. However, currently, the California
Philadelphia court employees will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of continued employment; they must be vaccinated, or offer proof of a medical exception, by November 15, 2021, the First Judicial District (FJD) has announced. Moreover, the FJD will review requests for religious exemptions on a case-by-case basis. Read more.
Over its regular and two special sessions, the Texas legislature has passed several bills that are or soon will be in effect and will impact employers’ workplace policies and procedures. Additional special legislative sessions yet may be held and, with them, more changes may be on the horizon. Read more.
Georgia employers may be experiencing some whiplash from the latest updates to the state’s unemployment and partial unemployment rules and regulations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) amended its Separation Notice form. This is another update in a long line of notable changes to the state’s