As Congress approaches a funding lapse resulting in a government shutdown, California employers should prepare for several indirect effects on workplace operations. Although a federal shutdown does not halt California’s employment laws, it does pause many federal agency functions, as discussed below.
Federal Enforcement Agencies
Most federal labor agencies will furlough staff and suspend routine
The VETS-4212 filing period for federal contractors opened last week on August 1, 2025, and closes on September 30, 2025.
Federal contractors and subcontractors with 50 or more employees and at least one federal contract of $150,000 or more are required to file their annual VETS-4212 Report, which provides an overview of the contractor’s workforce
Last week, U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer issued Order 08-2025 and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) issued a Bulletin explaining the Secretary’s Order. Importantly for federal contractors, “OFCCP will be exercising its discretion to administratively close all pending compliance reviews and will take no further action related to the scheduling list
In the most recent indication of what employers can expect from the National Labor Relations Board under President Trump’s second term, the acting General Counsel for the Board, William Cowen, recently rescinded a series of memoranda issued by his predecessor, Jennifer Abruzzo, that employers regarded as overprotective of employee rights under the National Labor Relations
The recent federal court ruling that struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rule banning non-compete agreements has given employers some relief, but it doesn’t mean non-competes are no longer under scrutiny. While the ruling prevents the FTC’s proposed ban from taking effect, state legislatures across the country have been tightening restrictions or imposing outright
On Tuesday, August 20, a federal judge in Texas shot down the Federal Trade Commission’s rule banning noncompete agreements (“the Rule”) that was set to take effect September 4. This means that the FTC cannot enforce the Rule. As a result, enforceable non-competes currently in place remain enforceable, and businesses and workers are free to
On September 18, 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 2188 into law, which prohibits employers from taking any adverse employment action against an employee in conjunction with an employee’s off-duty marijuana use.
AB 2188 makes it unlawful for employers to “discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment” for
Oregon’s much anticipated Paid Leave program (formally called Oregon Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance) will be here soon. Employee and employer contributions to the state program start January 1, 2023, and employees can start applying for benefits beginning September 3, 2023.
Almost all employers with employees in Oregon are required to participate in the
Oregon employers that require arbitration for employment-related disputes recently received some good news from the Oregon Supreme Court. In Gist v. ZoAn Management, Inc., the Court rejected the plaintiff’s argument that his arbitration agreement was unenforceable because it limited the arbitrator’s authority to award him relief. Instead, the Court ruled that the arbitration
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over much of the western United States (including Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho), ruled last week that an employee’s temporary impairment can qualify as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The Ninth Circuit’s decision resolves an important