Seyfarth Releases 2013 Edition of Cal-Peculiarities, the Definitive Guide to California’s Evolving Employment Laws and Workplace Regulations

Contacts:
Brian Kiefer, Director of Public Relations
(312) 460-6401, bkiefer@seyfarth.com

Ivette Delgado, Public Relations Manager
(212) 218-5273, idelgado@seyfarth.com

Annual guide details significant updates on new legislation and judicial developments in the Golden State

LOS ANGELES (April 30, 2013) — Law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP announced today the release of its 2013 edition of Cal-Peculiarities: How California Employment Law is Different, the industry’s only annual guide that focuses exclusively on the most vexing aspects of employment law in the country’s most populous state.

Authored by Seyfarth’s California Workplace Solutions group, this 262-page guide captures the latest legislative, judicial and regulatory developments which continue to make California the most uniquely challenging environment for private employers in the United States.

Led by Seyfarth co-editors in chief, David Kadue and Colleen Regan, Cal-Peculiarities marks its 14^th year in publication and is available for the first time in e-book format, which can be ordered here.

According to the guide, a combination of several factors, including legislation codified in the California Labor and Government Codes, expansive judicial decisions and enforcement activities, and new interpretations by California administrative agencies, continue to expand employee rights and employer obligations in the following areas:

“Bounty Hunter” or “Sue Your Boss” Lawsuits
Leaves
Employee Privacy - Protected Activities and Confidential Information
Litigation Issues
Disability, Age, Sex, Religious, National Origin Discrimination
Harassment
Wage and Hour
Vacation
Employee Access to Information
Covenants Not to Compete
Workers Compensation
Independent Contractors

Meanwhile, Cal-Peculiarities also addresses a number of noteworthy legislative changes and judicial developments, including:

New requirements for businesses on posting information regarding human trafficking
Prohibition for employers requesting or requiring employees or job applicants to disclose or divulge information regarding personal social media accounts, including passwords
Inclusion of breastfeeding as a protected characteristic under the Federal Employment and Housing Act
Reorganization of the functions formerly provided by the Department of Fair Employment and Housing
Continued striking down of arbitration agreements despite the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the preemptive power of the Federal Arbitration Act
Inability for prevailing defendants to obtain attorney fees as part of claims for meal- and rest-break violations, or as to claims for split-shift premium pay
Court holding that a retailer did not have to provide “suitable seats” to a cashier, but suggested that a lean-stool might be required
Application of the ban on non-compete agreements to settlement agreements
Continued support from courts upholding special provisions favoring union picketing
Court decision that a group of individuals could use a class action to challenge their classification as independent contractors

Additional insights from the guide can also be found online at Seyfarth’s California Peculiarities Employment Law Blog, which launched earlier this year to help chronicle the Cal-Peculiarities universe in real time for in-house attorneys, human resource professionals, business owners and managers.

Seyfarth Shaw has more than 800 attorneys and provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate and real estate. With offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C., Seyfarth’s clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies and reflect virtually every industry and segment of the economy. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.