The Scali Law Firm launches Coffee Break, its monthly newsletter and weekly video series for auto dealers

Stay informed on the latest laws and trends affecting the Automotive Industry. Join us for Coffee Break, a monthly newsletter and video series that provides a quick shot of corporate compliance and ethics topics including dealership human resource topics and wage and hour regulations, advertising and regulatory compliance and other new and trending issues affecting dealership operations.  In under two minutes, our attorneys will provide you with perspective and implementation ideas for new and trending compliance issues at your dealership.

City of San Diego adopts its own minimum wage and sick leave law

By ballot vote on June 7, 2016, the citizens of the City of San Diego passed a minimum wage and sick leave law that exceeds the California enhancements in these areas. This new law’s effective date is still unknown until the ballot vote is finalized and certified, but it is expected to take effect during the month of July.

ALERT: Employers with workers in Los Angeles County

Double check your location!

We recently reported on the new minimum wage and sick leave law in the City of Los Angeles. The new ordinance covering minimum wage and sick leave benefits applies to employees who perform at least two hours of work within a particular week within the City of Los Angeles. However, the bounds of the City of Los Angeles are not always obvious. In fact, there are a number of areas and neighborhoods within the greater Los Angeles area that are neither a part of the City of Los Angeles, nor within the bounds of another incorporated city.

Have you updated your confidentiality agreements?

As we previously reported, On May 11, 2016, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”) which creates a federal civil cause of action for trade secret theft and provides protection for certain “whistleblower” employees, and obligates employers to notify their workers of these protections. For example, an employee who discloses a trade secret “solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law” would be protected from liability.

Heat illness prevention

What are you required to do for employees when the temperatures rise?

Summer is here! When we think of summer, we usually focus on fun activities in the heat and sun, but this warm weather can be dangerous for those dealership employees who perform their jobs outdoors or in non-air conditioned areas. As such, it is important for dealerships to be mindful of the Cal-OSHA rules related to outdoor places of employment, which were updated a little over a year ago.