Rest and Meal Periods

In California, piece rate compensation plans have been on the chopping block since 2013. That’s when two California courts ruled that piece-rate employers had to separately pay employees for rest and recovery periods and “nonproductive” time. Back then we wrote those decisions put the “nail in the coffin” for…Read More

The California Supreme Court has ruled California employers may avoid employee class action lawsuits through binding arbitration. (Iskanian v. CLS Transportation Los Angeles, LLC, 6/23/2014). This is clearly a big win for all employers, large and small. California Employment Arbitration Agreements For California employers, arbitration…Read More

Smart employers know having written employee policies is good business. But who would have thought the absence of a written policy – when the law does not require one – could create liability for employers?  And when that lack of a written policy can result…Read More

California law requires an off duty unpaid meal period of at least 30 minutes for every five hours worked.  The failure to provide the meal period results in a penalty of one hour at the employee’s regular hourly rate of pay (Labor Code section 226.7 –…Read More

After years of waiting, and $millions (if not $billions) in legal fees, settlements and damages paid by California businesses, the California Supreme Court has issued its rest and meal period decision in the Brinker Restaurant case. Overview The Brinker Court fashioned practical rules somewhat favorable to employers.  The key question…Read More

A Vision Law® attorney attended the live oral argument before the California Supreme Court in San Francisco on November 8, 2011 on a case involving an employer’s obligation under California law on rest periods and meal periods. It is astonishing that the highest court of…Read More