According to a recent study conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, firefighters suffer higher rates of cancer than the general population. Cancers of the respiratory, digestive, and urinary systems account for much of the increased rates, with a small to moderate increase in such malignancies. And rates of mesothelioma, an extremely rare cancer... continue reading

A labor association client recently approached us because members were placed on unpaid suspension and were denied the ability to cash out accrued compensatory time off (“CTO”) credits. Our client wondered whether the employer had the authority to deny employees the right to burn CTO to support themselves and their families financially. Obviously the answer... continue reading

The anti-pension scribes are already overreaching on the implications of the California Supreme Court's failure to grant review of the appellate court decision in Dailey v. City of San Diego (2013) 223 Cal.App.4th 237. But the reality is there is not much to it. The California Supreme Court only accepts review of about 3-5% of... continue reading

In the past year, we have had an increase in questions about whether our clients’ employers are calculating overtime correctly. Here is a general overview of the FLSA and its application to you: The FLSA requires payment of 1.5 times the “regular rate of pay” for all overtime hours worked. For miscellaneous employees, overtime is... continue reading

A public sector labor client approached us recently when a member was ordered by his department to surrender his mobile phone for inspection of text messages.  This was his personal mobile phone, not a department-issued device, so our client wondered whether the employee had any kind of protection from such an intrusion into his private... continue reading

Recognizing the proliferation of multi-generation families, the Legislature recently enacted Senate Bill 770 to expand the definition of “family member” under California’s Paid Family Leave law (“PFL”). PFL is a part of the State Disability Insurance (“SDI”) program and provides up to six weeks of partial wage reimbursement to workers who must take time off... continue reading

In Edwards v. Lake Elsinore Unified School District (2014) PERB Decision No. 2353, the California Public Employment Relations Board (“the Board”) confirmed that only an employee labor association, and not an individual public employee, may pursue an unfair labor practice charge asserting that an employer has taken unilateral action in violation of its duty to... continue reading

In California School Employees Association & Its Chapter 47 (“CSEA”) (2014) PERB Decision No. 2355, the California Public Employment Relations Board (“the Board”) recently ruled that a labor association governed by the Educational Employment Relations Act (“EERA”) must produce financial records for inspection within a reasonable time following a request by a member. As explained... continue reading

A Court of Appeal determined yesterday that the California Public Records Act (“CPRA”) does not require public access to communications among public officials using private cell phones or personal e-mail accounts. In City of San Jose v. The Superior Court of Santa Clara County (Smith, Real Party in Interest), the court reversed the trial court’s... continue reading

San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed’s 2014 statewide pension reform initiative suffered what seems to be a fatal blow for this year. This afternoon, a Sacramento County trial court rejected a lawsuit challenging the wording that the Attorney General, Kamala Harris, used in the state’s required, official summary of the measure. Reed and four other California... continue reading