Posts Tagged: employers

News

Is the Legislature adhering to the spirit of California’s new pay transparency law?

First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, photo courtesy of Associated Press

California is one of eight states with a salary range transparency law, but critics contend some employers are violating the spirit of the law by posting artificially wide salary ranges. But the private sector isn’t alone – the California Legislature is also guilty of posting extraordinarily wide ranges across numerous positions.

News

Perspectives: An autopsy of an advertising blitz

Image by iQoncept via Shutterstock

The system established by the Political Reform Act is still so complex and so confusing that it’s difficult – if not downright impossible – to drill down on how much a special interest has spent to specifically influence a specific issue.

News

Remote work drives wedge between companies, employees

Office workers rushing to their jobs. (Photo: IR Stone, via Shutterstock)

Within their homes and offices, tensions are rising between employers and employees. At least for now, COVID-19 levels appear to be declining, and companies have begun to push their employees to return to the office  following an extended period of working from home.

Opinion

Affordable health care threatened by hospitals’ mark-up costs

Photo illustration of money and medical care. (Image: ShutterstockProfessional, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: If passed, SB 958 would severely limit specialty pharmacies’ ability to deliver lower cost medications to patients, while also making it even easier for hospitals to markup the cost they charge patients for critical medications, and in the end, we would see higher health care premiums for California’s employers and individuals.

News

As California lowers its masks, uncertainty remains

A crowd at the Santa Monica pier during the height of the pandemic. Some people wear masks, some don't.(Photo: Hanson L, via Shutterstock)

To mask or not to mask? That is the question — and there are a lot of answers. California on March 1 lifted its rule requiring unvaccinated people to wear masks in most indoor settings, but still strongly recommended that everyone wear masks indoors while in public. After fully two years of self-imposed isolation and masking, many people were delighted with the move.

News

Nurses confront state, hospitals over COVID health care hazards

A nurse at a protest at Alameda Hospital in 2020 seeking improved medical protective equipment. (Photo: Sheila Fitzgerald, via Shutterstock)

On the front line of health care during the COVID-19 pandemic, registered nurse members of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United are pushing for more employer accountability tied to a crisis of staffing and unsafe workplaces. The union, which represents about 100,000 registered nurses in California, says the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has not adopted such workplace protections.

News

Confusion, disparities in COVID safety measures

Illustratikon of COVID impact on California. (Photo: Alexander Lukatskiy, Shutterstock)

Timing can speak volumes. Consider this: As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus increases the infection rate, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut COVID-19 quarantine and isolation times from 10 to five days on Dec. 27.

Opinion

Unlicensed auto dismantlers are hiding in plain sight

Automobiles in a wrecking yard awaiting dismantling. (Photo: 1Roman Makedonsky, via Shutterrstock)

OPINION: Imagine a business that is unregulated and not held accountable for the improper handling of hazardous materials and fluids that make their way into our drinking water and the waterways that support our wildlife. Then consider that these cash-only businesses fail to provide their employees with a safe working environment or fair wages, accept stolen goods and do not pay taxes.

News

AB 5: Law of the land, but hurdles remain

A an illustration of employment in California. (Image: Shutterstock)

California’s landmark labor law AB 5, the worker-protection law that limits the ability of employers to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, is under fire. AB 5 faces lawsuits from organizations representing freelance journalists, ride-share companies and truck owner-operators. 

Opinion

California’s paid family leave left new parents behind

Three happy fathers walking in the park with thier children. (Photo: Olesia Bilkei, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: The Talk. Read. Sing.® campaign’s singing birds have been coaching us on one key note: the first years of each child’s life are a game changer. That’s because 90% of a child’s brain development happens before the age of five. However, there’s also a narrow window in a newborn baby’s life when bonding with a parent has a profound impact on their development and future success — making those first few months matter, too.

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