Thursday, January 22, 2015

Employment Lawyers Heed New Laws Affecting Los Angeles Businesses

Employment law lawyers in Los Angeles know that, more often than not, employers are unaware or simply do not know how a labor law applies to their business. Many small business owners are too busy running their business, managing their employees, and attending to customers and don't have time for anything else. However, it is vital for small business owners to have an on-call lawyer, at the very minimum. Workplace lawsuits in Los Angeles can be very costly, especially if the litigation involves discrimination, harassment, or wage and hour disputes.
There are a myriad of state and federal employment laws and recent court rulings that apply to all employers, but some apply to specific industry sectors or class of workers. It is vital for a business owner to ensure all employee manuals and relations, pay policies, and break periods are legally compliant and up to date.  The cost of preventing litigation is pennies compared to the cost of defense in a trial and possible fines and penalties.

Loss of an Employment Lawsuit Can Cost an Employer:

  • Fines & Penalties
  • Recovered Wages
  • Cost of Your Attorneys' Fees
  • Cost of Plaintiff's Attorneys' Fees
  • Time and Stress
  • Negative Publicity

Lawyers caution employers not keeping up to date on labor laws as being unaware of a new law cannot be used as a defense in court.

There are many new California and federal laws and court rulings affecting employers effective in 2015, say the Los Angeles civil lawyers from LibertyBell Law Group.

Some New 2015 Employment Laws:

  • AB1522 - Employees are entitled to accrue paid sick days at no less than one hour for every 30 hours worked, but employers may limit the amount of sick days to three per year.
  • AB2288 - Provides additional treble damages to an employee that was retaliated against because the individual filed a claim or civil lawsuit alleging a violation of employment laws while the employee was a minor, even if the claim or civil action was filed after the individual reached the age of 18.
  • AB1443 - Prohibits discrimination and harassment to volunteers and unpaid interns, regardless of whether or not the position leads to employment.
  • AB1897 - When an independent contractor works at the job-site of the employer and the independent contractor has a total of 6 non-exempt workers or more, the employer is jointly responsible for the wages of the independent contractor's workers and their workers' compensation insurance. 
  • AB2053 - Employers must provide abusive conduct prevention training, in addition to sexual harassment training, to supervisors. The training must be provided within 6 months of the employee becoming a supervisor.
If you are an employer or business owner, save yourself from potential headaches and costly litigation and contact our employment lawyers in Los Angeles now and call 855-200-ATTY (855-200-2889).